Symphogear Trill
by Seiker Hikaru
Summary: "Stories sometimes do not always start the same way, nor do they always tell everything there is to be within it. Some stories become completely different over time as details are lost to the ages, or sometimes, two similar tales can be made completely different by only a minority of differences."
1. Stanza I

_**Stanza I: Musica Coda**_

 _Stories sometimes do not always start the same way, nor do they always tell everything there is to be within it. Some stories become completely different over time as details are lost to the ages, or sometimes, two similar tales can be made completely different by only a minority of differences._

 _One such story is a simple one. A story of a tower, the one who climbed it, and the one who gave that tower it's power. A tower built to reach the Heavens as a challenge to God. A story many would know, but, this is one of the latter stories… one that becomes different once new details come to light._

 _Add more to this story, and you get a different tale. The builder of this tower had with them a follower, someone to give the tower the ability to reach Heaven itself. Though this individual was not a follower by complete choice, it was by their voice that this tower. Remains say this person may have been called…_

"Bored now…"

A sigh left the lips of the individual as he closed the browser screen on his phone, pocketing the device into their jeans and tugging at their black jacket, glancing through the crowd with sharp silver eyes shrouded by locks of white, the boy's slender, pale features hinting he was around his mid-teens.

"Tch, you'd think I'd find a way to not bore myself in a line, but, _no."_ The boy sighed, pulling a pair of blue headphones up onto the white locks of his hair and snugly cupping his ears in the soft, noise canceling foam of the headset, glancing up at the towering building that was the chief landmark of the city while also raising the hood of his jacket, clicking his tongue as he looked away from the signs announcing that day's concert, fiddling with a sword shaped pendant hanging around his neck, "Let's hope this concert is a bit fun."

* * *

And within the building, amid the clamor of all the concert preparation and suit talk, laying on top of one of the many empty crates, least it was for now, was a teenager with headphones topping his head, the red plastic sticking out against the dark blue strands, which also framed his pale face and emerald colored eyes, the teen humming along to the music playing through his headset, his eyes scanning through the words of his book, completely engrossed in his reading and in no way noticing the individual creeping up on him…

"Heeeyyy KYOMEI!"

"WAAAGH!" The blue haired teen yelped when he was grabbed from behind, fumbling to keep a proper hold on his book, his headphones nearly flying off his head as he was lifted up while the one who'd grabbed him laughed, "Koto put me down!"

"Ahh come on, how else was I gonna snap you out of it eh?"

Kyomei sighed as he was set down, adjusting his headphones and turning to look at his assaulter, an older looking teen pocketing his hands in his white jacket, the young man's bright blonde hair framing bright blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, his handsome features marked by a bright grin.

"Not like I need to do much else." Kyomei sighed, the much taller Koto throwing an arm around his junior's shoulder and leading him along while fiddling with the white, wireless earbuds he himself wore.

"Ah ah, that's being _too_ solitary. Not gonna tell Tsubasa good luck before the concert?" Koto asked, Kyomei looking to the side.

"Not like I need to. She'll be fine with Kanade helping her." Kyomei replied, getting a sigh from his senior, "What?"

"See, this little buddy, is the problem. Come on, I'm gonna go wish Kanade luck anyway, so you're coming with me and encouraging Tsubasa yourself, alright?" Koto chuckled, Kyomei flipping through his book and marking his previous spot.

"I don't see why it's necessary."

"She'll appreciate it, trust your ever reliable senpai with these things my socially awkward friend." Koto chuckled, ruffling Kyomei's hair, the boy only blinking.

"I'm not awkward… I just don't get stuff like that." Kyomei bluntly responded, Koto sighing and lightly tapping the younger teen on the back.

"You will someday, trust me on that." Koto hummed, scanning around as they proceeded along the walkway, a hand shading his eyes for no discernable purpose other than the effect of it, "Now, where are they... aha! Oiii! Kanade, Tsubasa!"

"So loud." Kyomei chuckled as Koto ran ahead to two girls both dressed in concealing white robes for the purpose of the concert, one who looked around Koto's age with fluffy red hair that looked like feathers and eyes to match, the other girl still wearing her hood, but easily discernable with pale blue hair and darker colored eyes, looking to be around Kyomei's age.

"Hey, Koto! You made it! I thought you'd be running around the concessions, you mischievous monkey." Kanade chuckled, Koto again throwing an arm over Kyomei's shoulders.

"What, and leave my adorable kouhaimoping around in a corner somewhere? Nah. I was looking for the kid the entire time." Koto chuckled, Kyomei rolling his eyes, but his expression was of an amused smile as he brushed Koto's arm aside from ruffling his hair again.

"I wasn't moping. I was just reading the next Dazai Osamu book I got my hands on, _No Longer Human_." Kyomei stated, flashing the mentioned book, opening it up to his previous page, Koto peering over to look, Kyomei turning sharply on his heel to prevent the peeping, to the amusement of the girls as Koto clicked his tongue.

"Ah, I wanted a glimpse. You never let me read your books." Koto sighed.

"Because the last time I did, you lost it and I had to buy a replacement." Kyomei replied.

"I found it eventually!"

" _After_ I'd bought the replacement."

Koto hung his head in admitted defeat as Kyomei sat down on the nearby crate, turning his page as he did, Koto sighing, while Kanade chuckled.

"No getting him out of it, is there?" Kanade mused, placing her hands on her hips, Koto shaking his head.

"No, I guess there isn't. Shame, cause I was hoping he'd tell Tsubasa good luck." Koto murmured, keeping his voice down for the latter statement, Kanade letting out a hum.

"I see. Well, we can cover that _easy."_ Kande replied, Koto snickering, "So, Genjuro talk to you two as well?"

"Yeah, before I went looking for the reading little scamp." Koto mused, fiddling with his earbuds again, "Speaking _of,_ good luck with the live… and I don't mean that in the sense the boss said. I'm looking forward to the concert!"

"Of course you are. Shame though, you're an even better singer. Ah, if only we could perform on stage together." Kanade chuckled, winking to Tsubasa as she turned and walked off, Koto following as he let out an exclamation.

"Ehh? Come on, you know I can't do that! It's not part of my job! Which is being a student!" Koto proclaimed, Kanade laughing as she continued on, Tsubasa turning from watching them leave and to Kyomei as he continued with his reading, almost looking downright oblivious to the clamor around him.

"Good luck." Kyomei spoke up, Tsubasa blinking, the boy closing his book and turning with a small smile on, "With the concert. Good luck. I hope you do your best."

"I...I will. Thanks." Tsubasa started to give a slight smile in return, Kyomei opening his book again, and unbeknownst to the two, their two seniors had been watching, and excited chuckling immediately turned into quiet sighs.

"Those two are gonna take ages to go anywhere." Koto clicked his tongue, Kanade nodding and leaning on her knees.

"Yeup! Ah well, can't force anything along _too_ much. Some are just slow burners." Kanade mused, spinning a finger, Koto chuckling.

"Yeah, and you burn as fast as a match." Koto chuckled, earning a light punch on his shoulder for the comment.

"Pff, yeah right!" Kanade scoffed in reply, proudly pumping a fist as she stood up, "I'm a fire that'll never go out!"

"Hahaha! Course not. You're passion hasn't faded since the day we met. If anything it's only ever gotten brighter." Koto mused, adjusting and jackknifing to his feet, "So, again, good luck with the concert, be sure to blow them away!"

"What, no token for luck as well? We're not exactly under the scrutiny of a camera right now." Kanade chuckled, her hands on her hips as she playfully leaned forward into Koto's face, then looking downright disappointed when Koto simply pecked her on the forehead, "Heyyyy…"

"Later. You need to focus on your show anyway." Koto chuckled, putting a finger over his lips, Kanade sighing.

"Ya' darn tease. Alright then, watch as I blow the crowd away! I'll be expecting a reward afterwards!" Kanade chuckled, putting a finger right in Koto's face, the young man chuckling.

"Alright then. I'll be watching to judge appropriately."

* * *

"Jeez… this place is packed. This is all just to watch two people sing?" The white haired teenager sounded utterly baffled as he looked around at the shuffling crowd anxiously chatting away in the seats waiting for the show to stop, the bored looking boy sighing, twirling the unlit glow stick between his fingers, blinking as the remaining lights went dark, the crowd cheering as their own glow sticks lit up amid the new cascade of colored lights, the tee, shrugging as he lit his own, looking up from under the brim of his hood as the lights shifted upwards.

* * *

And up in the private booth, Koto and Kyomei were observing… well, rather Koto was observing and Kyomei was back to reading his book… which Koto promptly plucked away.

"Hey!" Kyomei yelped, Koto teasingly holding it away and leaning back.

"Upupup! Not until the show's over! Take a breather and watch." Koto chuckled, Kyomei sighing and turning his attention to the show as Kanade and Tsubasa descended onto the walkway of the stage, the crowds cheers coming through into the booth.

 _ **(Start song: Gyakkou no Flugel, from the OST)**_

"Alright." Kyomei replied, and his foot was already tapping to the beat of the music as the girls began singing, Koto clapping along and bobbing his head back and forth and letting out a chuckle as Kyomei began humming along out of habit despite his usual stoicism showing once more.

"Come on Mr. Blank Face, show a bit more excitement!" Koto laughed, Kyomei rolling his eyes, a small smile nonetheless showing on his face, the younger boy blinking as, during the midpoint of the song, the area roof opened up to wash the floor in the evening twilight, Koto jumping up at the crescendo, "Well, you gonna sing along or not? We got the booth to ourselves!"

"Ehh?" Kyomei yelped, Koto chuckling as he jumped back, getting in synch with the girls right on cue, Kyomei sighing and joining in, Koto's singing voice deeper and smooth, Kyomei's lighter but just as smooth.

 _ **(End Song)**_

"Haha, hell yeah!" Koto slapped a high five with Kyomei as the song finished, the blue haired boy laughing as Koto whooped and threw a fist in the air, then sighing with laughter in it, "Ah man, I'm gonna owe Kanade big time."

"Owe her what?" Kyomei asked, Koto chuckling again.

"Ehh, couple things."

* * *

And below in the crowd, the headset wearing teen was chuckling as he spun the glowstick amid the crowd, his other hand fiddling with the longer strands of his hair hanging over his right shoulder.

"Ahahaha! Wow, that was _way_ cooler than I thought. Totally not boring at all!" The teen laughed, but with an odd sort of dryness to it, though he simply tuned out the typical "thank you for being here" spill that came next, even if he was getting caught up in the crowd's hype for the event… though any joviality in the air was thrown to the horizon when a massive explosion shot from the center of the arena floor, yells of excitement being replaced by screams of terror as people recoiled in fear and scattered away from the blast.

* * *

"The hell?!" Koto jumped as the blast rocked the booth, Kyomei's eyes wide as he looked up.

"The Noise…" Kyomei muttered, Koto clicking his tongue, taking a few steps back as a creature that seemed to flicker about, more creatures of a different type filling the sky, "Well, guess we can't sit around and let the girls deal with this themselves, that's a lot of Noise down there!"

"But, the commander hasn't…" Kyomei murmured, sighing as Koto took a running start and leapt _through_ the window as the crowd below ran to escape from the veritable army beginning to invade… though the unlucky ones who got caught were silenced in their terror as the Noise turned them to ash with nothing more than a touch, Koto steeling his gaze as he came close to landing.

" _Cantato magno Ruyi Jingu Bang zillz!"_ Koto's voice rang as light then gathered around him, and with a burst followed by the ball around him crashing into the ground, the young man came out garbed in a fitted black, gold accented suit under black armor fitted to various points, headphone like pieces on his head that also formed a headband, Koto clashing the slender gauntlets together, the items forming a two meter long staff tipped in gold, which he promptly stuck into the ground, leaving a small crater, the Noise facing him as he let out a smirk, "Alright then partner… let's go!"

Koto lept into the air and smashed down onto the first Noise below him, his staff becoming a whirlwind as he shot through the swarm, shooting high into the air and rearing it back, smirking as he threw the weapon, which then _expanded_ into a veritable pillar as it crashed onto a crowd, Koto slamming down onto the top and causing cracks to shoot through the ground as more Noise were then blown away by a whirlwind from the other direction, Kanade coming to a stop, geared out in her own armor and wielding a rather large spear.

"Hey, don't hog them all Koto!" Kanade chuckled, stepping back when a few Noise lunged, only for them to be shot away, the girl chuckling, "Hey! Nice save Kyomei!"

A glint from the booth showed that Kyomei was still up there, also in his own armor, the white accented by red and yellow, a visor over his eyes as he aimed down a rifle that changed into twin handguns as he jumped down and joined the fray, a flash of blue revealing Tsubasa herself had joined in, garbed in blue and black and wielding a katana, and amid the flurry of the four fighters facing the monsters, the battleground hadn't exactly been abandoned from civilians…

"Whoa… what the heck is that?" The white haired teen from the show was still present, his eyes wide as he watched, and he yelped when the floor beneath him crumbled, tumbling to the ground into a heap, off in the middle of the clash, and Koto stopped his movement as he heard the crashing, turning to the dust cloud as Noise shot towards it, the stragglers being knocked down by Koto's staff.

"Hey! You alright?!" Koto shouted, the dust fading as he heard coughing, the young man blinking to see the white haired boy struggling out from some rubble, the boy getting some help from the fighter, the boy holding his left arm as he sat up, hacking dust out of his mouth.

"T-Thanks… agh…" The boy muttered, still coughing, Koto nodding and patting the kid on his head.

"Good. You need to get out of here alright?" Koto stated, the kid coughing, but nodding, "Sweet… got a name?"

"Of course." The kid muttered, "It's Ritsudo… Narukami Ritsudo."

"Alright then, Ritsudo, stay behind those rocks, and get away as soon as it's safe, alright?!" Koto shouted, Ritsudo nodding, watching as the young man jumped back into the fray, retreating to the cover of the rubble, wincing as his arm and chest ached, blood marring the sleeve of his jacket and dripping down his fingers.

"Guess running away isn't an option… shit." Ritsudo muttered, _"But why the heck are they singing while fighting? Honestly… what's going on here?"_

Ritsudo let out a bitter sigh, leaning up to look back at the brawl, his vision beginning to blur out from the blood loss, barely being able to make out the shapes of the four fighters as they cut through the Noise, barely making out Kanade coming back in from the side opposite the others, his vision going black for a moment as he stumbled, and next he knew, he saw the same person collapsing, the other three rushing over, but all sounds just a dull buzz as the boy finally went unconscious…

* * *

 _ **Two Years Later…**_

Laying atop the school building he was at, a now sixteen-year-old Ritsudo was quietly snoozing away the day instead of doing what he _should_ have… going to class. But, the perpetually bored young man decided he had better things to do with his time than sit in a classroom and be bored out of his mind, and instead had resorted to spending the day napping on the roof, his particular sleeping position allowing the bandage wrappings on his left arm to show under the sleeve of his blazer.

Though his headphone assisted slumber wasn't going to last much longer, as the napping boy was soon covered by a shadow, and a rather thick book was promptly dropped onto his face.

"AGGGGHHHH!" Ritsudo yelled as he shot off, the book flying off only to be caught, Ritsudo rubbing his nose as he winced in pain, "Owowowooww…"

"Skipping class _again_ Narukami? Honestly…" The assaulter, the now seventeen-year-old Kyomei, sighed, Ritsudo looking up at his blue haired senior with a flat expression.

"What's the point? Class is boring as hell, and I already know all the subjects that old geezer is teaching through and through." Ritsudo replied, his tone cold and flat, laying back once more, his sword pendant jingling on it's chain, "Besides, shouldn't you be in class too?"

"I have a free period." Kyomei flatly stated, Ritsudo rolling his eyes and staring up at the rolling clouds, "Don't you at least consider your education the least bit important."

"Not when the class is pointless to me. And this one just so happens to be pointless to me, so why should I bother showing up?" Ritsudo replied, his bored tone carrying just a hint of bitterness as he rolled over, "Besides, I bet those guys feel better without the guy with a record being in the same room as them."

"Commander said that wouldn't be a problem for you here." Kyomei murmured, opening his book as he leaned against the fencing lining the roof.

"Did the words "guy with a record" not carry over? All these teachers at this darn private school know what I did during middle school and my first year back at those other schools. Something like that doesn't go away, even if you're part of some secret government group." Ritsudo grumbled, jackknifing to his feet and picking up his bag as he headed for the door.

"Going back to class?"

"Going home, that's where." Ritsudo replied, Kyomei sighing as his junior slammed the door behind him.

"Great… now I've gotta follow him around town again." Kyomei sighed, pulling a communicator out of his pocket and clicking it on, "Commander Kazanari, it's Kyomei, Narukami is leaving again… yes… yes. Alright. I'll at least make sure he'll answer." Kyomei hung up and walked to the front edge of the roof, Ritsudo already leaving the grounds of the academy, his hood raised to obscure his face, the older teen sighing as he put a hand to the pendant around his neck. "What would Koto do if he was here?"

* * *

"Tch, darn that guy, why is he always following me around when we're off duty? Geez." Ritsudo continued his bitter grumbling as he maneuvered through the mid-day crowd of the shopping district, fiddling with the volume control on his headset to further drown out the noise around him, _"Boring boring boring… why the hell is everything so boring all the time?"_

His meandering about however, came to a halt when Ritsudo realized that aside from the nearly drowning noise coming from his headset, the road had grown quiet and empty, the boy clicking the sound off as he looked around.

"Did I take a wrong turn?" Ritsudo muttered stopping when he looked around and saw _why_ the streets were so quiet… the entire road and the interior of the shops were strewn with ash and debris… and a smirk broke out on his face in place of the cold expression he had on, "Well… looks like today might actually be interesting."

Ritsudo turned when he heard springing and twitching sounds, smirking wier when he saw a swarm of Noise coming out of the woodworks, the teen chuckling a bit as he jumped back from the ones who lunged at him, skipping past and into an alleyway, pulling his own communicator out of his pocket when it rang.

"Yo! Boss, wassup?" Ritsudo answered, pulling himself up to a roof.

" _Narukami-kun, we have an alert!"_ A gruff voice spoke, Ritsudo chuckling.

"I'm kind of already at the site." Ritsudo replied, jumping to the next building as the Noise followed him up, "You can keep Kyomei and Tsubasa on the sidelines, I've got this one!"

" _Will your Gear work this time?"_ Genjuro asked, Ritsudo chuckling as he slid under the attacking Noise.

"I worked out the kinks the other month, remember? I got this, so let me have some fun." Ritsudo hung up, jumping to the next roof, his sword pendant falling into his hand, "So, is this place clear…"

A child's scream told the boy otherwise, and he clicked his tongue, and when he heard panting, looking down into the alleyway, he saw a child being led along by a girl who looked to be just a bit younger than him, Ritsudo letting out a growl when the Noise then moved to the opposite end, and he matched pace, jumping down and yanking the two back the other way.

"That way's dangerous, come on!" Ritsudo snapped, the teenaged girl nodding and following him out and to the rooftops with the kid in tow, Ritsudo letting out a long sigh, "Good, we lost them, for now."

"Wait… that uniform, you're from the boy's campus at Lydian!" The teenaged girl gasped, Ritsudo cocking a brow, though he knew for a fact his hood was obscuring it.

"Is that really important right now? Good grief." Ritsudo muttered, looking over the ledge, "Great… the swarm is still following us. Come on!"

Ritsudo grabbed both of the others again and continued the run back to the streets, the teenager picking up the kid as they continued, Ritsudo stopping once they got far past the town and to the power plant district, both teens panting from exhaustion.

"God freaking… I said I was gonna handle this, and now I'm escorting a civi, just my rotten luck!" Ritsudo grumbled, rubbing the side of his head, "You good to keep going? Those things won't give up easy."

"Yeah… what about you?" The girl asked, Ritsudo standing up and turning around.

"I can give you time to run." Ritsudo stated, cracking his knuckles as a smirk came back to his face, "So get out of here… I've wasted enough time already."

"Thank you! Oh…" The girl stopped as she picked the tired child, Ritsudo glancing back, "I'm Tachibana Hibiki, nice to meet you!"

"Narukami Ritsudo… now get out of here!" Ritsudo snapped, Hibiki nodding and running off, Ritsudo chuckling as the swarm caught up just as Hibiki vanished from sigh, grabbing his pendant and pulling it off, "Finally. Let's have some fun."

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron"_

The air whirled around Ritsudo before bursting up in a gleam of white and blue light, the vortex being cut open when a white bladed katana shot from the light, Ritsudo now standing clad in a black, blue accented suit under gleaming, sleek silver armor that let out bits of steam as it finished locking into place, the headset like segment on his head retracting a visor at a slight touch, Ritsudo lifting the katana towards the swarm, the leaf like pattern along it's flat glinting in the twilight as he angled the weapon.

"Let's make this fun!"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Merry Christmas to everyone reading this, if you, well, celebrate that holiday, though for some it definitely won't be when you read this... if not, then happy whatever-it-is-you-celebrate! This idea started because I'd been binging Symphogear and Symphogear G over a weekend and then… boom. God I put a lot of planning into this…**


	2. Stanza II

_**Stanza II: Risvegliato Ritmo**_

 _ **(Start Song: Story by Kensho Ono, sung by Ritsudo)**_

Ritsudo shot forward and slashed, the Noise who had the misfortune of taking the blade head on crumbling into ash as it fell into two halves, another one following as he spring boarded off of it, another coming through, another Noise leaping at him, Ritsudo smirking a bit as the creature slammed his shoulder, being grabbed by the boy before his katana was run through it, a wild light in his eyes and a cocky smirk on his face as he skid backwards.

" _This is where it's fun… fighting these things! This is the rush I want!_ " Ritsudo thought, his mouth still moving as he sang while fending off the Noise, cutting through more of the crowd as he also took attacks and retaliated, placing a hand on his blade, visible flickers of energy around it, flowing like wind itself.

Ritsudo stabbed the blade forward, a gout of air shooting forward and slicing through a good portion of the Noise, leaving them turning into ashes, Ritsudo smirking as he rushed back into the swarm, the air still moving around his blade as he spun and slashed at them, twirling around and shooting forward in a dash that left a veritable spinning gale behind him, catching the Noise in it and blowing them away.

"Heh, well, that definitely thinned them out." Ritsudo chuckled, placing his sword across his shoulders as the remaining Noise from the first group crumbled, clicking his tongue before shooting after the other part of the swarm that had continued forward during the fight, likely still after Hibiki and the kid, Ritsudo leaping down the hill and into the winding power plant.

" _Narukami-kun, what's your status?!"_ Genjuro phoned in, Ritsudo skidding to a stop as he reached the rooftops for a better view.

"I'm at the power plant chasing the rest of the swarm. They split off after some civilians I ran into… and no, they _didn't_ see my use my Symphogear." Ritsudo relayed, looking around the roofs for the rest of the swarm, stopping when he saw a gleam in the corner of his eyes, his visor closing down as the gleam then burst into a pillar of yellow light, "Uh, boss… the hell is that?!"

All Ritsudo was getting on the other end of the line was chatter, clicking his tongue and cutting the line, jumping off to the source of the light, which coincidentally led him right to the rest of the swarm, his eyes widening when right at the edge of the roof, where the light was fading, was Hibiki, now clad in what was surely her own Symphogear, Ritsudo raising a brow at the oddly familiar look it had.

"Well… that answers that question." Ritsudo murmured, waiting until Hibiki left the roof with the kid, leaping over and dashing through the swarm, though they instead focused on their previous target even after having a portion of them cut down, Ritsudo clicking his tongue and shooting down after them, cutting through more and shooting back, blinking when his next set up was interrupted by two _cracks_ in the air, followed by two more of the Noise going down, Ritsudo growling, " _Greaaaatttt._ They've finally showed up. Just my rotten luck!"

" _Don't act surprised."_ Kyomei's voice came over on the comm line, Ritsudo sighing as he saw the glint of his senior's visor off in the distance, Ritsudo placing his sword over his shoulders, the teen sighing as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Come on! I had this one you two! Can you at least let me finish _one job_ on my own?!" Ritsudo snapped, clicking his tongue before slashing at a few more Noise coming his way, letting out a long sigh when the wind around it stopped swirling, "Oh come on you stupid thing! The fight isn't done!"

" _I still don't get why you talk to your sword."_ Kyomei murmured, Ritsudo narrowing his eyes.

"My Relic is _sentient!_ How many times do I have to say it! I'm not crazy!" Ritsudo shouted, spinning around and kicking a Noise that was shuffling towards him, stamping it out into ash with an annoyed huff, "Now where the heck is that Hibiki girl at..."

Ritsudo's question was answered when a motorcycle shot by and split through the swarm, giving him a glimpse that was just enough to spot Hibiki, a sigh leaving the boys lips as the biker then leapt from their mount.

"Kyomei, is Tsubasa just _allowed_ to waste those things?" Ritsudo muttered, not getting much of an answer beyond a confirming hum.

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron."_

"Welp, there goes my fun for the day." Ritsudo muttered, flipping his sword around and jabbing a Noise creeping up behind him, a burst of air following from it, and he scoffed as he looked at the blade, "You're an ass you damn shiv."

It was a feeling in his mind that Ritsudo had gotten used to over the past two years. It wasn't _words_ per say, though he could make something like that out, but it was like he could simply _feel_ the intent of his Relic at times. Of course, hardly anyone else believed him on the matter aside from their boss so Ritsudo was always being accused of making it up or just flat out being crazy.

"Symphogears are made from shards they say, they can't think they said… YEAH WELL MINE DOES!" Ritsudo grumbled, not realizing he was thinking out loud as he watched the ensuing finale of the fight from Tsubasa's signature moves, the final, much larger Noise being finished when a massive sword propelled by Tsubasa impaled it to the ground.

" _Narukami, you were thinking out loud again."_ Kyomei noted, Ritsudo flinching.

"You heard that?!" Ritsudo yelped, shooting around to Kyomei's perch.

" _Yes. Now regroup. Everyone else is gonna be here in a few minutes for clean up."_

"Yeah yeah. Bored now…" Ritsudo grumbled, deactivating his Gear and catching the sword pendant as it reformed, looping it back around his neck as he trudged off and raised his hood, being met by Kyomei flipping down to the ground before deactivating his own Gear, Tsubasa meeting up with the two, _immediately_ giving a stern glance at her junior.

"What do you think you were doing?" Tsubasa demanded, Ritsudo turning to her with that ever present expression of bored annoyance he had more often than not.

"Fighting the Noise." Ritsudo stated flatly, Kyomei sighing.

"Here we go again…" Kyomei murmured, rubbing his temples, Tsubasa putting her hands on her hips.

"Fighting them and willingly letting them land hits on you? You're too reckless and uncaring. It's like you're trying to get yourself killed. Especially since your Relic isn't always operating at full capacity." Tsubasa stated, Ritsudo turning a finger in his ear.

"It's trying to make fights more interesting, I'm not suicidal, geez. Besides, like I've been telling you these two years, Kusanagi is _sentient._ The damn thing works when it wants to work, and I don't have a damned clue how to make it listen to me all the time." Ritsudo replied, Tsubasa folding her arms in turn.

"Our Relics don't have sentience."

"Mine does."

"This is hopeless…" Tsubasa sighed and walked off, Ritsudo rolling his eyes whilst Kyomei sighed.

"She's as pleasant as ever." Ritsudo muttered, fiddling with his pendant.

"She's just showing concern." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo rolling his eyes, "But she is right. You shouldn't be reckless and fight like that when you can't properly use your relic."

"I can use the thing just fine, it's not like I _can't_ kill the Noise. And like I keep saying, _again,_ my Relic is sentient and it just doesn't always listen! It did for like, five minutes this time!" Ritsudo objected, Kyomei tilting his head, "Come on! You're literal minded, so why the heck is this the one thing you don't believe?"

"You know the answer so I'm not going to bother restating it." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo letting out a frustrated groan, "Now c'mon, we need to head on back… especially since that new Gear user popped up."

"Riiight… can't imagine how this is gonna end up being." Ritsudo grumbled, Kyomei sighing.

* * *

In the halls of the teachers annex of the campus, Kyomei, Tsubasa, and Ritsudo were led along by a fellow of theirs, Shinji Ogawa, who posed as Tsubasa's agent in her idol career, while trailing near then was Hibiki, currently kept in handcuffs for particular reasons, though despite the serious air about the place, of the lot of them Ritsudo of course didn't seem to have a single care for the mood, as usual keeping himself hidden by his hood.

"Uh… this is the central annex that the teachers use, isn't it?" Hibiki inquired, Ritsudo only nodding as they got to the elevator, Shinji bringing his communicator to it's scanner, Hibiki flinching as an extra door shut and objects that turned out to be handle bars lifted up, "Um.. what is this?"

"An elevator." Ritsudo flatly replied, "Look, just grab onto one of the bars."

"He's right. This is dangerous so please hold on tightly." Shinji stated, helping Hibiki get a proper grip on one of the bars, Kyomei meanwhile back to reading whatever book he was on at the moment.

"Dangerous?" Hibiki murmured, then screaming when the elevator suddenly picked up speed, then nervously chuckling once things returned to an average feel despite the speed.

"Spare me the smile." Tsubasa muttered, Hibiki blinking in confusion.

"Ignore her. Tsubasa is just a buzzkill." Ritsudo spoke up, Tsubasa shooting a flat look at him in response, not really helped by Ritsudo's near expressionless face and cold tone being a near match for Tsubasa's own, Hibiki gasping when the area changed from a simple, dark elevator shaft to an expansive, ornately designed descending tunnel.

"We don't need smiles where we're going." Tsubasa added, Ritsudo snickering under his breath while Kyomei was no longer paying any minds to things.

"Yeah we'll see how long that lasts." Ritsudo quipped.

* * *

And Ritsudo was proven right not more than seconds after they'd entered the main command room and confetti went flying everywhere, not to mention the banner proclaiming "Welcome, Tachibana Hibiki!"… and amid it, the burly man that was the head of the operation, Genjuuro, standing tall in a top hat with an ear to ear grin of welcoming.

"Welcome to the fortress of the protectors of humanity, the Second Division of the Special Disaster Countermeasure Unit!" Genjuuro proclaimed, Hibiki's eyes wide, Tsubasa pinching her nose, Kyomei not paying attention, and Ritsudo snickering.

"Called it." Ritsudo snickered, his eyes drifting as Kyomei drifted off to the nearest "quiet" space to continue his reading, flinching when an arm hit his shoulder, "NOPE nopenopenope! Not today Ryouko!"

"Ohh, I just wanted a picture, you never let me have any fun." The person in question was a brown haired, bespectacled woman in a lab coat, Ritsudo having yanked away from her ever present tendency to ignore personal space.

"Yeah, for good reason." Ritsudo snapped, clicking his tongue, Hibiki looking around the schpiel.

"Okay… but how did you all know my name if we've never met?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo leaning over.

"Boss can explain that one." The white haired pretty boy stated, pointing at Genjuuro, "Also, boss, I'mma split. I'm bushed."

"Alright then. Be sure to report in tomorrow though." Genjuuro added, Ritsudo just waving.

"Yea yea, I know. See ya' tomorrow."

* * *

"I'm ho-ome!" Ritsudo practically kicked the door of his dorm room open, clicking his tongue as he chucked his bag to the side and kicked off his shoes, throwing his blazer onto the nearby coat rack before flopping down onto the couch of the neatly kept room, it's condition rather contradictory to what one _could_ perceive about the person who lived in it at a glance.

Ritsudo merely clicked on the TV to have some kind of background noise as he reached under his shirt and pulled out the pendant, staring closely at the sword shaped object as it turned on it's chord, letting out a sigh and lifting the collar of his shirt, his eyes on the scar at the center of his chest, one oddly shaped like the _forte_ symbol… one caused by that pendant in his hand.

It was a day he could easily remember if he looked back on it, one of the few things the ever-bored young man even bothered recalling half the time, a simple matter that had occurred when he was around 12, he'd just been lounging around at an artificial riverbank when, out of nowhere, _bang,_ pain in his chest and that same pendant sticking out of him. One trip to the hospital and a little white lie later, and it was like not much else had changed for him.

Of course, _that_ was until two years ago when he survived that Noise attack… a day that, following it ended up changing his life completely… whether for better or worse had yet to be proven, but… it had proven to be one of the few things he found a remote amount of enjoyment in nowadays.

"Heh… and all because some dang sword flew out of nowhere and nailed me in the chest. One of the few interesting things that happened in my life so far." Ritsudo's tone was somber, also mixed in with some tone of bitterness, a flat smirk present, "But… things look like they're gonna get interesting again."

* * *

"Skipping classes _again?"_

"By this point, you should stop being surprised."

"Who said I am?"

Ritsudo angled his head back to see Kyomei staring up at him from the lower part of the school roof, the blue haired boy sighing.

"You _do_ remember we need to report in today right? Well, more precisely, you need to report in. Dr. Ryouko _does_ like making sure there's no ill effects from your Relic due to how… _odd_ it is." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo sliding to the lower level, stretching his arms.

"I'll say it as many times as I need to: Kusanagi is _sentient_ and only works at full capacity when it wants to. Seriously it's not that hard to understand." Ritsudo grumbled, Kyomei's look more telling that he wanted and answer to his earlier question rather than being reminded _yet again_ of the obscure factor about the oddity that was Ritsudo's Relic. "Haahhh… yes, I remember I need to report in. Geez, I'm not an idiot."

"You have a habit of not doing things because you don't want to. I'm simply here to remind you of things is all." Kyomei replied.

"Oh geez what are you, my babysitter?" Ritsudo grumbled, his tone _clearly_ sarcastic, but…

"In some perspectives I suppose that's how you can look at it." Kyomei hummed, Ritsudo's expression changing to equal parts irked and annoyed, though the _minor_ detail that he was at least somewhat taller than his elder softening the blow just a bit. Not much, but a bit.

"I was being _sarcastic._ I forget you're literal minded sometimes." Ritsudo sighed, Kyomei matching pace as he left the roof, "Besides, shouldn't you be more concerned with your girlfriend? She didn't show it but she seemed pretty off guard about last night."

"T-Tsubasa and I _aren't… that!"_ Kyomei outright yelped, his expression going red as he looked to the side, "I mean yes we're partners and have known each other since we were little but, that's it! Just friends… though I… do care about her."

" _Good god_ learn to see a joke!" Ritsudo grumbled, his hand meeting his face, _"Granted you're blind if you think your feelings for that chick are platonic… everyone else but_ you _knows it Kyomei... and I guess Tsubasa doesn't either."_

"You look like you wanna say something." Kyomei noted, Ritsudo stepping ahead.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Let's just get to the HQ and get this crap over with… gonna be bored out of my mind though." Ritsudo murmured, _starting_ to pull his headphones up.

"Don't most things bore you though?" Kyomei inquired, Ritsudo letting out a groan of annoyance.

"Today is gonna be a _looong_ day."

* * *

"We late or not?" Ritsudo, as usual for him, outright barged into the medical room with Kyomei in tow, dragging his senior along by his collar since he was once again totally engrossed in his novel of the day, Ryouko immediately turning to face the boys as they entered, Hibiki on a bench and rubbing her wrists from the clearly removed handcuffs, Tsubasa watching from the sidelines.

"You're just in time actually. Have a seat, will you?" Ryouka chuckled, Kyomei just leaning on the wall and Ritsudo grabbing a swivel chair as Ryouko swung back around to Hibiki, "All right, allow me to announce the results of your medical check up! Aside from the fatigue left behind from your first wonderful experience, we found almost nothing wrong with your body."

"Almost, huh?" Hibiki hummed curiously and with a bit of worry, Ritsudo actually taking an interest in things once the world "almost" had been spoken.

"Oh right, that's not what you wanted to know." Ryouko hummed.

"Please, tell me. What was that power?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo's look changing to bored once again at the change of subject, though a look from Genjuuro led him, Tsubasa, and Kyomei to pull out their respective pendants, and unlike Ritsudo's dagger shaped item, the other two had simpler items shaped somewhat like cylindrical stones, the primary difference being that Kyomei's was the same blue colored material as Ritsudo's while Tsubasa's was red.

"Ame-no-Habakiri, Vijaya, and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Those are the Relics Tsubasa, Kyomei, and Ritsudo possess." Genjuuro stated, Hibiki looking closely at the three items.

"Relics?" Hibiki inquired.

"Relics are artifacts mentioned in folklore around the world." Ryouko piped in, considering she _was_ the present expert on the topic, "They're too advanced for our current technology to recreate. Many have been excavated from ruins, but the passage of time's taken its toll on them. That's why it's quite rare to find one that has retained its original power."

"All three of those pendants are merely fragments of the original weapons, though one question puzzling us is the unique shape of Narukami-kun's Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, but that's for later." Genjurro added, alluding to the shape of Ritsudo's item as he casually fiddled with it between his slender fingers.

"The key to awakening and unleashing the power left in these fragments lies in the vibrations at certain amplitudes." Ryouko added, Hibiki tilting her head in confusion at the phrase.

"Why do you think you started singing when you transformed?" Ritsudo spoke up, Genjuuro nodding.

"In layman's terms, we mean a song. A Relic is activated through the power of song." Genjuuro explained, Hibiki's expression showing she'd remembered things more clearly.

"That's right! That day, I felt a song welling up inside me." Hibiki noted, Ritsudo glancing over and noticing the tense expression on Tsubasa's face, Kyomei having stopped his reading as well.

"Relics awakened by song then undergo a transformation into pure energy." Ryouko continued the explanation, pointing at the diagrams appearing on a screen, "That energy is then reconstructed into the anti-Noise protective armor, or Symphogear, that the four of you wear, though the boys wear a special variant due to the nature of their Relics."

"That being said, not every song or singer has the power to activate a Relic." Tsubasa cut in, things growing silent as all eyes turned to her for a moment, the tense air around the idol singer thick enough to cut with a knife, though Genjuuro stood up, keeping a calm smile on as he approached Hibiki.

"Those select few who _are_ capable of activating a Relic through song and wearing a Symphogear are referred to as Harmonics, Tsubasa and you being an example of them, or Tuners, of which Kyomei and Narukami-kun are two examples of." Genjuuro added, gesturing to the other three gear users in the room.

"Do you understand the power that's been awakened within you?" Ryouko cheerily asked, "I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have."

"Um…"

"Shoot, Hibiki-chan!"

"I didn't understand a single thing." Hibiki chuckled, Ritsudo letting out a sigh as the two resident technical officers, Aoi and Sakuya, a bob cut wearing young woman and brown haired young man respectively, only nodding along as if they'd seen it coming.

"Just as I thought." Aoi sighed.

"Just like Ritsudo when he first joined." Sakuya quipped, earning a cross glance from the silver eyed teen.

"I get it all now." Ritsudo objected, folding his arms.

"I guess that _was_ too much information for a beginner." Ryouko mused, twirling around, "But at least remember that I'm Sakurai Ryouko, the primary proponent of Sakurai Theory, the sole technology capable of producing Symphogear from a Relic!"

"Ah…. But, I don't _have_ a Relic. So how did I…" Hibiki noted, looking over when a new image appeared on the board, one of an x-ray of the girl's torso, and right near her heart were several fragments of _something._

"You should know what this is." Genjuuro stated, Hibiki nodding.

"Yes! This is my injury from two years ago!" Hibiki confirmed, Ritsudo blinking, _definitely_ paying attention now, "I was at the incident as well!"

" _WHAT?!"_ Ritsudo avoided the urge to yelp, but then, he slowly began remembering the papers _had_ mentioned there being another survivor of that Noise attack, his right hand hovering near his wrapped up left arm. _"So… she's the other one…"_

"Since all of these fragments are so deeply embedded near your heart, it's quite impossible to remove them surgically." Ryouko explained, Ritsudo having an immediate thought at that.

"What, like Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie?" Ritsudo chirped up, eyes turning to him in confusion, "What? It just… kinda came to mind."

"Hmhm, essentially." Ryouko chuckled, amused by the quip, though her look turned somber as she glanced back at Hibiki, "According to our investigation, these shadows are shards of a Relic we thought lost two years ago, Gungnir, the Symphogear formerly worn by Amou Kanade. It was Kanade's parting gift…"

The gasp that came from Tsubasa was all too audible, Kyomei's expression showing concern as the blue haired girl began shaking as her eyes widened, the girl slumping over and nearly falling, trudging out of the room as she shook like a leaf, Kyomei bowing to the others before following after her.

"Um…" Hibiki murmured, standing up from her seat, "Am I not allowed to speak to anyone about my power?"

"If word were to leak out that we have the power of the Symphogears, your family, friends, all the people you care about would be at risk. Their lives would possibly be in danger." Genjuuro explained, Hibiki's eyes widening with worry.

"Even… their lives?" Hibiki's tone told of unease, and Ritsudo stood up.

"It's not like we're trying to protect any secrets… the Noise are common knowledge after all, not a single person around doesn't know about those things." Ritsudo muttered, Genjuuro nodding.

"Exactly. Rather, it's the lives of people we're trying to protect. For that, will you keep your power a secret?" Genjuuro asked, Ritsudo surprisingly _not_ taking his leave at the shift in mood.

"Please try to understand the enormity of the power you now possess." Ryouko added, a particular draw of the eyes going to Ritsudo, particularly, his pendant.

"Humans alone cannot defeat the Noise. A human who is not protected by the power of a Symphogear will immediately be carbonized and turn into dust. Merely being touched by one is enough. It's only through the singers clad in the battle armor of a Symphogear that are the exceptions to this rule." Genjuuro added, Ritsudo's expression gaining a notable darkened look, Hibiki glancing at him as she noticed one of his hands curling tightly into a fist. "As the leader of the SDCU Second Division, I'd like to formerly request your assistance. Tachibana Hibiki, will you lend us your Symphogear powers in the fight against the Noise?"

"I can save others with my powers, right?" Hibiki asked.

"Of course, you can… and you can stop people from becoming another statistic in the wake of a disaster." Ritsudo's tone was glum as he turned and left, pulling his hood up seemingly out of some kind of habit, Hibiki raising a brow at the sudden bitterness he was showing.

"Forgive him… Ritsudo-kun has not had an easy life, but… what he said was true. You can definitely save people with this power." Genjuuro confirmed, Hibiki nodding, her expression becoming determined.

"Okay!"

* * *

 _ **Minutes earlier…**_

Kyomei glanced around the hall as the door closed behind him, spotting Tsubasa stalking off to a nearby lounge space, the girl leaning against the wall as she attempted to steady herself, Kyomei lightly clearing his throat to make his presence known.

"Uhm… Tsubasa? Is… a-are you okay?" Kyomei asked, Tsubasa shooting around with a harsh look on her face.

"No! It's not! Of course it's not!" Tsubasa snapped, Kyomei showing to be somewhat taken aback in surprise, Tsubasa hitting the wall, "That girl has Kanade's Relic… Gungnir was hers, and now some… some random person has it!"

"I…" Kyomei stopped before he continued, not finding anything that he could say in response, freezing when he attempting to reach a hand out to Tsubasa as she hit the wall again.

"Why? Why did this happen? _How_ did it happen?" Tsubasa muttered, Kyomei lowering his hand and looking to the side.

"I… I can't answer that." Kyomei murmured, "But, Tsubasa, it's been two years… we've grieved for Kanade long enough haven't we? Shouldn't… shouldn't you move on?"

"WHAT?!" Tsubasa snapped, Kyomei's expression showing he didn't register the insensitivity of his statement, but the spurt of anger led to Tsubasa not caring about the innocent misstep of her friend, "Move on?! And forget?!"

"N-No… n-not forget… that's not what I meant." Kyomei murmured, shying away as he lifted his hands, Tsubasa's glare outright boring into him.

"What would Koto have said if he were here? He wouldn't tell us to forget he'd… he'd be saying to remember Kanade, to never let her fade from our minds!" Tsubasa spoke, Kyomei's form suddenly locking up, his arms lowering as his eyes shadowed over.

"I know… and I don't know what Koto would be saying right now… but he wouldn't want us to mope around either." Kyomei murmured, his eyes locked on the floor, not able to look up anymore as one hand reached into his pocket, gripping something within it, "I'm just… I'm just worried."

"I don't _need_ you to be worried." Tsubasa grumbled, moving past Kyomei, "I just need you to be ready when we need to fight… and to not butt in."

Kyomei's look darkened again as Tsubasa left, pulling his hand out of his pocket, revealing the item to be a pendant similar to his own… the one that previously belonged to Koto.

"If you were here, what _would_ you say right now?" Kyomei muttered, sitting down, wrapping his fingers around the pendant and placing his forehead on his tightly knitted hands, "What did I do wrong, what should I have said instead? I just don't understand…"

The telltale alarm of Noise being detected pulled Kyomei out of his thoughts, the boy pocketing the pendant and standing up, already rushing for the command room.

"I'll figure it out… wherever you are right now Koto, I'm gonna figure it out!"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Uhhhhhgggghhhh… exposistion/info dumping is exhausting but it has to be done! See the bunch of ya' next time, and thanks for the reviews so far!**


	3. Stanza III

_**Stanza III: Clamore di Canzoni**_

"And done! Everything is fine and in order!"

Ryouko clicked the last of the panels of data into place on the screen, a tap on the keyboard stopping the examination machine, a shirtless Ritsudo stepping off the medical bed and slipping his shirt back on, once again hiding his svelte, untoned frame from view.

"Told you so. Nothing's been up since I first used the dang sword." Ritsudo stated, tugging on his over shirt and hoodie, Ryouko nodding as she plucked his pendant off of it's own examination device, tossing it back to the white haired boy.

"I know, but due to the nature of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and such we have to check you each time you use it. Its unique shape _is_ due to the fact it's shard was a bit too large to form into a normal Symphogear pendant after all." Ryouko stated, Ritsudo nodding, that very wording being about the hundredth time he'd heard the explanation.

Ryouko was the second person, the first being Genjuuro, who actually believed Ritsudo's statements about Kusanagi's sentience and the odd way in which it was expressed. In fact, considering she _was_ the chief expert on Relics and Symphogears, she could at least provide a modicum of sense on two the Relics sentience as the fact being it was made from a more complete shard of the original sword than the average Symphogear and its own unique traits.

Not that it answered a thing, and of which it only made _more_ to answer overall than anything else. Basically, he was still at square one in understanding a single thing about how the sword worked, much less making it use its full power consistently.

"Again, nothing is up with me. It's just getting the damn thing to listen to me for more than five minutes." Ritsudo murmured, looking at the pendant in his hands, sighing as he placed it back around his neck, "So can I go now?"

"Sure, no prob-" Ryouko was cut off when the Noise alarm blared, Ritsudo taking a moment before grabbing his blazer and rushing out, meeting up with Kyomei, and at the same time, Tsubasa and Hibiki, as they entered the command center.

"Inform First Division we'll take care of this!" Genjuuro was getting to giving orders as the display screen began locking in on the Nois signature, the commander turning to the four Gear users.

"We've located their spawn point. We have coordinates!" Aoi shouted above the alarm, gasping when the readings came in, "Two Hundred Meters from Lydian Academy!"

"They're close." Genjuuro muttered.

"I'm going to meet them! Kyomei, let's go!" Tsubasa turned and dashed out, Kyomei only nodding as he followed at an equal pace, Hibiki only taking a moment more before she followed after them, Ritsudo sighing.

"Hold it, you're not…" Genjuuro started to cut Hibiki off, the girl turning around to him.

"I can help others with my powers right? Only the Symphogear is able to go against the Noise, right?" Hibiki asked, recalling what she'd been told before, "That's why I have to go!"

"Guess I'll go with her." Ritsudo muttered as Hibiki ran out, stopping when Genjuuro put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure? She hardly knows how to fight, and we don't know if you and Hibiki-kun can synchronize your Gears yet." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo giving a smirk.

"Then I guess we'll just have to figure it out. Either way, beats sitting around doing nothing." Ritsudo stated, running out to the sigh of the elder man, Ryouko chuckling.

"Quite a spry boy. He's always shooting off to do _something_ he finds interesting… yet those eyes of his never change." Ryouko hummed, Genjuuro sighing again, the image of how even when Ritsudo showed that cocky smirk, his eyes still looked cold.

"You know his files as well as I do… he's a thrill seeker who causes trouble for the fun of it." Genjuuro stated, Ryouko chuckling.

"Yes, but despite that rough exterior, at heart he's a good boy… just a little wayward is all. A lot like our two veterans." Ryouko stated, Genjuuro letting out another breath.

"Yes, but Tsubasa and Kyomei have been trained since a young age as soldiers. The other two are not. Ritsudo is a boy who's had all sorts of trouble throughout his life, and Hibiki-kun was just a normal girl with a normal life, yet one joined a fight risking his life for fun, and the other just to help people. A little twisted, don't you think?" Genjuuro posed, Ryouko humming.

"So basically, those two are just like us. They belong to our world, but in different ways." Ryouko stated, and one could have caught it at a glance, an odd grin showing on the scientist's face, "Both are very interesting."

* * *

At the wide highway street near the fields near Lydian, Tsubasa and Kyomei faced down the horde of Noise that had made it's way to the area.

"I count forty-seven." Kyomei murmured, grabbing his own pendant tightly in his hands.

"Then this will be easy, especially if they combine into one big one." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei nodding, the Noise doing just that, turning from a group of small drones into one massive blob of a beast, both Gear users closing their eyes as they held their pendants out.

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron!"_

" _Fugite Vijaya zillz!"_

In a flash of lights, the two were clad in their armors, Kyomei twirling a pair of pistols that matched his Gear while Tsubasa brandished her blade, parts of their armors glowing slightly as the coming songs paired up with one another.

"I'll support like usual." Kyomei stated, clicking the two guns together, the two handguns reforming into his usual rifle as Tsubasa nodded, her lips already moving in a song as she shot forward.

 _ **(Begin Song: Zettou – Ame no Habakiri from the OST)**_

The Noise launched forward a slew of blade like feathers, the wing like blades on Tsubasa's legs opening up, a spin taking down most, rapid shots following from Kyomei's rifle taking down the rest, Tsubasa ending up opposite the Noise, her katana changing shape into a much larger sword as Kyomei kept distracting the Noise.

"Take this!"

"Incoming!"

Tsubasa and Kyomei both gasped when two new yells sounded, Hibiki and Ritsudo coming in from above, and while their attacks had next to no effect on the large Noise, it _did_ provide an opening.

"Take the shot!" Ritsudo shouted, Kyomei blinking in surprise.

"Tsubasa-san, Kyomei-san!" Hibiki shouted, Tsubasa and Kyomei nodding to each other as Tsubasa shot into the air while Kyomei aimed down his sights, light charging at his weapon's barrel while Tsubasa's sword glowed blue, both unleashing the attacks at once, the azure blade of energy meeting the red beam and mixing together.

 _-AZURE SNIPE-_

The combined attack struck the Noise and cut it clean in two, not to mention slicing a gouge into the road, Ritsudo and Hibiki shooting back as the Noise exploded into a ball of fire, the two newbie Gear users high fiving before moving to Kyomei as he retracted his visor, Tsubasa staring at the rising smoke left over from the ball of fire.

"Tsubasa!" Hibiki called out, Ritsudo placing his sword across his shoulders, Hibiki catching her breath a bit, "I know I'm still holding you back, but I'll do my best! Please fight with me!"

Kyomei looked between Hibiki and Tsubasa with a mystified expression, Ritsudo cocking his head as Tsubasa kept her back turned, though Kyomei saw the rising, glum smirk on Tsubasa's face even before she turned around to reveal it to Hibiki, Ritsudo and Hibiki gaining confused expressions.

"Okay… how about we fight each other?" Tsubasa posed, Hibiki only looking more confused, flinching when Tsubasa raised her sword at her.

"What?! Tsubasa, what are you…" Kyomei gasped, flinching when Tsubasa shot a look at him, "Tsubasa…"

"Wait she's serious?!" Ritsudo yelped.

"You misunderstood me! I'd like to fight alongside…"

"I know what you meant." Tsubasa cut Hibiki off coldly, her gaze steeling even more.

"So, what are you doing?" Hibiki asked, Tsubasa clicking her tongue.

"I just want to fight you." Tsubasa stated, Hibiki's eyes widening, Kyomei looking away, "I cannot accept you. Join forces with you? Fight alongside you? I cannot accept your existence, Kazanari Tsubasa would never allow herself to fight alongside you. Ready your Armed Gear, too. That will mean you're prepared to fight. If you insist on wearing the Gungnir Symphogear, the mighty spear that pierces through anything, then ready yourself!"

"Holy shit she _is_ serious." Ritsudo muttered, Kyomei letting out a long breath, stepping between the girls and spreading his arms out.

"Tsubasa stop this! There's no point in fighting each other!" Kyomei objected, Tsubasa angling her sword.

"Move aside Kyomei… the armed gear represents your will to fight on the battlefield. Tachibana Hibiki, if you want to claim Gungnir, the spear that can pierce anything, as your Symphogear, you should come to terms with what that will entail!" Tsubasa snapped, Kyomei standing firm in place as Hibiki's look of confusion only broadened.

"Hey now, that's not cool." Ritsudo muttered, "She _just_ learned about her powers, give her a break!"

"Says the boy who can barely even use his Gear after two years of training." Tsubasa bit, Ritsudo gleaning a snarl of annoyance at the comment, Kyomei's teeth grinding against each other as a hissing breath escaped.

"Not for lack of trying on my part." Ritsudo grumbled.

"W-What do you mean "come to terms?" I don't even know what this "armed gear" thing is." Hibiki stated, only confirming Ritsudo's statement, "How can I come to terms with something I know nothing about?"

Tsubasa lowered her blade and turned around, Kyomei letting out a relieved breath as it _seemed_ the girl was backing down, but the words she spoke as she walked away proved otherwise.

"You have no determination. You treat this like a silly little game. Kanade… how _dare_ you try to take Kanade's place?!" Tsubasa snapped, Hibiki gasping, Kyomei's look grown tense, a growl escaping as Tsubasa leapt into the air.

"Tsubasa! Stop this dammit!" Kyomei snapped, but the wheels were already turning as Tsubasa's voice rang out in song again.

Tsubasa threw her sword downwards towards Hibiki, the simple katana changing into a _massive_ blade within seconds, Tsubasa slamming a foot to it's base to push it along, Ritsudo moving to push Hibiki out of the way as Kyomei began moving aside.

-HEAVEN'S WRATH-

 **(End Song)**

"ORAAA!" A loud roar sounded as Genjuuro appeared right out of nowhere, throwing a fist forward and stopping Tsubasa's attack dead by sheer force _alone,_ knocking Tsubasa off balance, much to her shock, Genjuuro letting out another roar as the street below him _caved_ into a crater and the resounding shock wave wrecking a good portion of the road, Tsubasa landing on her back, Kyomei, Ritsudo, and Hibiki getting up from having been toppled over.

"That was cool." Ritsudo yelped, being the quickest one to recover despite their Gears all having been knocked to inactive state, the ground, and all of them, getting soaked when a water pipe ruptured and began spewing water everywhere, Genjuuro only shaking his wrist as he put the other hand on his hip, not even looking _harmed_ from what he'd just done.

"Now look at this mess." Genjuuro muttered, "What were you thinking? I paid a lot for these shoes."

Hibiki and Ritsudo looked down, both teens' eyes widening to see that Genjuuro's shoes weren't even fit to be called _shoes_ anymore.

"Whoa…" Ritsudo muttered, expression the shock both he and Hibiki were feeling.

"How many movie stunts do you think you can borrow from? This isn't like you, Tsubasa. Not listening to Kyomei, is one thing… and did you even try to hit her seriously?" Genjuuro asked, approaching Tsubasa as the girl only stared at the ground, Kyomei approaching as well, both veteran Tuner and commander gaining their own wide eyed looks when they saw past the downturned face, "Are you cry-"

"I'm not crying!" Tsubasa snapped back immediately, though even with the pouring water it was clear as day some of the fluid on her face was also tears, "I never shed tears. Kazanari Tsubasa is a sword forged only for battle. I'm…"

"Tsubasa…" Kyomei murmured, one hand curling into a fist, his unsureness about what to do clear to see, Genjuuro patting the boy on the back and helping Tsubasa stand himself.

"I understand that I'm no good at all. But I'll do my best from now on, and... I'll take Kanade's place!" Hibiki stated, her zeal getting in the way of understanding what came out of her mouth.

Tsubasa then shot forward with a glare on her face, though as her hand moved forward to slap Hibiki, her wrist was caught by Ritsudo, who got between the two girls, a hand on his pocket, and a for once serious look on his face, Tsubasa honestly flinching as eyes as dark as a storm cloud glared at her, Hibiki's eyes wide as she saw what Genjuuro and Kyomei had, that Tsubasa indeed had tears on her face.

"Tachibana, learn a thing or two about what you say next time." Ritsudo muttered, Tsubasa pulling her hand from his grasp, "And you… well, I have nothing to say to people like you. People who can't move on from pain and loss… who refuse to let go of the past."

Ritsudo pocketed both hands and walked off, Kyomei looking at him. The words the normally bored, seemingly apathetic teen had spoken were ones that hit home. Kyomei may not have known much about his fellow Tuner, but he did know Ritsudo had been through a much rougher life than he could ever have imagined… but, pain and loss were something they definitely had common ground on.

" _It's having the strength to grow and move on that defines a person once they've experienced such a thing… but just what did Ritsudo go through that's made him the person he is now?"_ Kyomei thought, watching as Ritsudo again pulled up his headphones and hood, once more shutting out the world. Kyomei then turned to Tsubasa, who again had her back to Hibiki, and as she passed Kyomei, it was just one look they exchanged, and despite all attempts at looking as strong as she always did, Tsubasa couldn't hide the tears anymore, and she stopped when Kyomei put a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Tsubasa murmured.

"Tsubasa… it's… look, whatever it is, whatever the problem is, I'm here… you haven't lost everybody." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa looking away as he again looked at her with his ever sincere, gentle smile, the girl only shrugging off his hand and trudging away, Kyomei letting out a breath, looking between Genjuuro and Hibiki, his smile still present, but tinged in sadness, "I… figured I should have tried…"

* * *

 _ **One Month Later**_

"Even after a month, the girls still can't work together." Genjuuro sighed as he looked between the surveillance footage of the now two teams of Haromonic/Tuner pairs, but, of note was the fact the pairs were in separate locations in the city, and then the factor that unlike Kyomei and Tsubasa, Ritsudo and Hibiki's gears didn't have the glowing effect of synchronization to them.

"And yet despite being unable to Synchronize, Ritsudo-kun and Hibiki-chan are making quite a team." Ryouko hummed, Aoi and Sakuya seeming uneasy at the topic of the two rookies not being able to synch their gears…

* * *

 _Several weeks Earlier_

"So, to do this Synchronize thing we just have to activate our Gears in tandem or something?" Ritsudo asked aloud, looking up at the viewing area of the testing room, Hibiki standing next to him, a buzz sounding as Ryouko leaned over and started the PA.

"Essentially. Though the actual result comes if the two of you can, well, "Tune" your respective songs. If it works, well then, you can begin refining it.. if not… well, we don't really know what happens when two Relics can't resonate." Ryouko added, Ritsudo's expression best described as saying "Really?" while Hibiki just tilted her head.

"Whatever…" Ritsudo sighed, pulling out his pendant, twirling it on a finger before catching it in his palm, glancing at Hibiki, "Alright, ready to see if this'll work?"

"Yeup! Let's go!" Hibiki nodded, pumping both fists, Ritsudo nodding along and holding his pendant up, both closing their eyes.

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

Once the two were clad in their Gears, that was when the testing began, Ryouko keeping a watch on the readings as typical chatter for something of this nature flew around, the woman having a hand on her chin as she watched the two Symphogears… and that was when the sensors began blaring with an alert as the compatibility scans began _dropping_ rather than increase, and at a startlingly fast rate, Ryouko's eyes widening as the calm air around Ritsudo and Hibiki turned tense, the two screaming out as backlash hit them, an explosion of energy following, the two Gear users ending up on the ground with their Gears deactivated.

"Get medical down there now!"

"Hurry!"

"So, they can't synchronize… noted… Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and Gungnir are not compatible… or rather, is it something else?" Ryouko hummed, looking more… disappointed than worried.

* * *

"At least they weren't injured and just knocked unconscious." Aoi murmured, Sakuya nodding.

"Still, who'd have thought that incompatible Relics would backlash like that?" Sakuya murmured, folding his arms, "And then there's Kyomei and Tsubasa…"

"Those two _have_ been acting distant." Aoi noted, Genjuuro letting out a prolonged breath.

"That's the most concerning factor. There is a widening gap between them, and I doubt either know why they're disagreeing… much less how this will affect their performance when synchronizing." Genjuuro muttered, "Haaagghhh… I can only imagine how Kyomei is dealing with this."

Of note of the veteran Tuner, he'd flopped down onto the bed of his own dorm room at the academy, having not even bothered headed back to the base after that nights Noise hunt, letting out a breath as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, pulling out Koto's Relic and holding the item up between his fingers near the light fixture above him, the bright bulb's light reflecting off the blue item.

And as he stared at it, Kyomei began recalling _how_ he'd acquired the item… the painful memories associated with it from two years ago…

* * *

 _ **Two years ago…**_

As the Noise were swept away and Kanade fell to the ground, three voices rang out in panic amid the coming silence in the wake of the Swan Song's ring finally fading, nothing but dread in the air now…

"KANADE!"

Koto, Tsubasa, and Kyomei all ran over to their fallen comrade, Koto lifting the injured, bleeding Kanade up into his arms.

"Kanade?!" Tsubasa gasped, Kanade's blank eyes shifting around.

"Where are you, Tsubasa? It's so dark, I can't see your face…" Kanade weakly muttered, Koto gasping.

"No way… Kanade, c'mon…" Koto murmured, Kanade letting out a weak chuckle.

"I'm sorry… seems this is gonna be out last gig… hey, Koto… you're there too, right?" Kanade asked, weakly moving a hand over and _just_ brushing Koto's arm, "Ah… there you are…"

"Of course I'm here… no way this is the last show." Koto muttered, Kanade weakly chuckling again.

"How did I do… huh?"

"You're concerned with that right now?" Koto responded, unable to hide the torn expression on his face, Kyomei only watching with stunned horror on his face.

"Why? Why are you saying that? That's cruel!" Tsubasa sobbed, Kanade just managing to turn her blank gaze to the girl.

"Then you're a crybaby…" Kanade murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.

"I just want you to sing with me forever!" Tsubasa sobbed, Kyomei moving over and putting a hand on her shoulder, the girl shuddering in sobs.

"Did you know Tsubasa? When you sing as hard as you can… you get really hungry." Kanade murmured, her head lulling over to face Koto, despite not being able to see him, "Koto… you there?"

"Yeah… course I am. Since when have I not?" Koto stated, a weak attempt at keeping his usual smile failing.

"You… owe me y'know?" Kanade murmured, Koto frozen as her hand weakly moved up to his cheek, managing to pull him down for a kiss, Koto stuck in that moment, all of them were, things seeming to slow as Kanade then went limp, her arm falling and her head lulling back, and right before the three, her body faded away, crumbling like the victims of Noise, blowing away in the wind…

"KANADE!" Tsubasa and Koto screamed in anguish, Kyomei silent but with tears staining his face as Tsubasa turned and buried her tears in his chest, Koto screaming as he slammed the ground, nothing but grief in the air around the three now…

* * *

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

Kyomei's eyes were stuck in surprise as he looked at Koto beside him, the normally smiling young man bearing a sullen, forlorn expression as he stared blankly at the ground.

"I can't stick around… ever since… haagh… ever since Kanade died, my mind hasn't been in the right place." Koto murmured, leaning on both hands. "So… I don't think it's good for me to continue fighting."

"But… do you have to leave? You can just… take a break, right?" Kyomei asked, Koto letting out a long sigh.

"I'm a Tuner without a Harmonic to Synch with, I won't be as effective if I stay around… and y'know, I think I understand how Kanade felt when we first met her years ago… angry, wanting revenge, wanting to rip apart every last Noise you can find…" Koto's voice began shaking with anger, the young man letting out a breath to keep himself calm, knowing lashing out wouldn't do any good for Kyomei at this time, "I feel like if I stick around, this will only get worse, and I'll end up doing something stupid that could get me killed or something that could get you andTsubasa killed because of a lapse in judgement… I don't want to screw up again. I could have stopped her… I could have stopped Kanade from using the Swan Song. Or at least… I could have borne the burden with her… maybe she wouldn't have been… phhhhhh… god dammit."

"Koto…" Kyomei murmured, opening his mouth to continue then closing it, looking at the floor with a troubled expression, a leg bouncing as thoughts raced through his mind, failing to think of something proper to say, or something that at the least wouldn't accidentally make this worse. "Koto, I…"

"I just… I need to sort things out, deal with this in my own way." Koto spoke up again, reaching under his shirt and pulling out his Relic pendant, "Until then… I just feel like I can't use this."

Koto then undid the clip of the pendant, holding it out to Kyomei, who's eyes widened as he stared at the item and then at Koto, it being evident he was surprised.

"W-What? Ruyi Jingu Bang is yours… I-I can't just…"

"Please… hold onto him for me, okay?" Koto asked, a weak, sad smile coming to his face as he placed the pendant in Kyomei's hand and stood up, putting a hand on Kyomei's head and ruffling his junior's hair, "Sorry… but as I am now… you guys are better off without me dragging you down."

* * *

 _ **Present Day**_

"Stupid… we'd have been fine." Kyomei let out a long breath as he sat up and pocketed the Relic, running his hands over his face, and the ring of his phone going off drew his attention, flipping it over, the ring being due to an alert, "Right, there's that meeting tonight. Well, let's go."

"Sorry I'm late!"

The last one to arrive at the command center for the meeting was Hibiki, who nearly skid to a stop in front of Ryouko, Kyomei elbowing Ritsudo to keep the other Tuner from fully dozing off.

"Huh?" Ritsudo murmured, only letting out a hum when he registered Hibiki's presence.

"Now that we're all here, let's have a friendly meeting!" Ryouko spoke, all eyes turning to the main computer as a map of the city appeared, the map bearing a multitude of blips on it.

"Any opinions?" Genjuuro requested.

"There are lots of them." Hibiki answered in a matter-of-fact tone, Ritsudo snickering under his hand while Kyomei just tilted his head, Tsubasa letting out an annoyed sigh, while Genjuuro gave a hearty laugh.

"That's absolutely right. Over the last month, these locations are where Noise has appeared. What do you know about the Noise, Hibiki-kun?" Genjuuro inquired, Ritsudo giving an audible sigh at the impending spill.

"Just what I've heard on TV and at school." Hibiki answered, looking at a hand as she began counting off what she did know, "They're emotionless, like machines. And they only attack humans. And the people they attack turn to carbon ash. They can appear at anyplace, and at any time, to start attacking people. They're considered a major disaster."

"That's more than I expected you to know." Genjuuro hummed, Ritsudo nodding his head.

"I was just writing an essay on them." Hibiki chuckled, putting an arm behind her head.

"Well, it was thirteen years ago that the Noise was first discussed at the UN." Ryouko added, taking the reins of the conversation, "But they were sighted _long_ before that, since ancient times, all over the world!"

"The long and short of it is that the Noise have been around long enough that it's likely much of current mythological monsters were really just Noise." Ritsudo quipped, Ryouko nodding.

"Correct! The Noise do not appear often. The number of appearances lately is extremely unusual." Ryouko stated, "Which means there must be some purpose behind them."

"Do you mean someone's controlling them?" Hibiki asked, Kyomei raising a brow.

"But, how _would_ someone control the Noise in the first place?" Kyomei posed, "If they even _are_ being controlled… wait, what if they're targeting _that?"_

"Huh?" Ritsudo and Hibiki both raised a brow, though Ritsudo quickly realized what Kyomei was talking about if his expression as anything to go by.

"The center of it all _is_ right here, Lydian Music Academy's High School. Right above us, someone, or something, is after Sacrist D, Durandal." Tsubasa stated, Hibiki looking even more confused than before.

"Durandal is…" Hibiki murmured, getting her answer from Aoi.

"An almost complete Relic, kept in Abyss, a level lower than this, which we're researching with the Japanese government's supervision. That's Durandal."

"Tsubasa-san's Ame-no-Habakiri, Ritsudo-san and Kyomei-san's Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and Vijaya, as well as the Gungnir fragments in your chest can't work unless their wielders sing to activate them." Sakuya chimed in, "But once a complete Relic is activated, it keeps outputting one 100% of its power. And our research indicates that anyone, not just the activator, could use it."

"That's the Sakurai Theory I came up with!" Ryouko proudly stated, "But, to activate a completed Relic you need serious Phonic Gain. Even more complete shards like the ones used for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and Vijaya are as easy to activate as any other Symphogear."

Hibiki only put a hand on her head as she tried to make sense of the wealth of new information that had been thrown at her, Genjuuro standing up, all eyes going to him as his presence got their attention again.

"It's been two years since then. With Tsubasa's songs now, it would be possible…" Genjuuro hummed, Tsubasa looking down.

"We'd need the Japanese government's permission for that though." Aoi added, Ritsudo rolling his eyes.

"Of course… wait, exactly _how dangerous_ is a completed, well, mostly completed, Relic once activated anyway?" Ritsudo inquired, Ryouko letting out a hum as she folded her arms.

"A nearly complete and activated Relic would be far stronger than any Symphogear, and controlling it would be a matter of the Relic's nature itself… but to put it in retrospect, _very_ dangerous, and such an item falling into the wrong hands could spell disaster." Ryouko stated, Ritsudo sighing.

"Of course. Just like every other setting with crazy powerful fantasy items. Get it into the wrong hands and for all we know someone might try blowing up the moon or some absurd shit like that." Ritsudo muttered.

"Well, back on topic… could or would we even manage to _get_ permission to activate the Durandal?" Aoi stated, Sakuya piping up again.

"There's a bigger problem. Based on our treaty, America's made multiple requests for the Durandal. We must be very careful with it. Trying to activate it is out of the question. It'll be an international incident if we're not careful."

"The American government can't be behind this, can they?" Aoi inquired.

"Ain't that jumpin' to conclusions?" Ritsudo muttered under his breath.

"According to our investigation department, over the last few months there have been tens of thousands of attempted hacks on the computers in our headquarters." Genjuuro stated, Tsubasa's look growing to one of annoyance, crushing the paper cup in her hands, Hibiki and Kyomei looking troubled at the tenseness showing from her once again, Ritsudo as uninterested as always, "We aren't sure how they're getting access. It's too early to say if the American government is behind it. But, we're having them follow up, of course. Normally, this is what we're good at."

"Commander Kazanari…" Shinji spoke up, Genjuuro nodding.

"Oh, right, it's about that time, isn't it?" The commander hummed, Shinji turning to Tsubasa.

"You have a meeting for your album tonight." Shinji stated, Hibiki raising a brow.

"Ogawa is _also_ Tsubasa's manager for her idol gig." Ritsudo quipped, Shinji nodding as he donned a pair of glasses.

"Correct. On the surface, I am singer Kazanari Tsubasa's manager." The agent stated, handing a business card to Hibiki as proof of the façade profession.

"Whoa… I've never been given a business card before! Thank you very much!" Hibiki bowed slightly, turning back to the others as Shinji and Tsubasa left, looking between the bored (as always) Ritsudo and the troubled looking Kyomei, then back to the commander. "There are threats all around us other than the Noise, aren't there?"

"Course there are." Ritsudo answered.

"I don't really wanna think about anyone coming after this place." Hibiki murmured, Ryouko chuckling.

"It's fine. 'Cause you know, this place _was_ designed by the famous celebrity archaeologist Sakurai Ryouko to defend humanity. It has both cutting edge and heretical technology."

"Are you _ever_ going to stop stroking your own ego for one day?" Ritsudo quipped, some light laughs coming from the others as Ryouko looked at Ritsudo with a jokingly appalled glance.

* * *

"Why is he almost always up here?" Kyomei sighed as he walked out onto the school roof again, stopping with some surprise when he saw Ritsudo looking out over the grounds, his look not bored but rather… unsettled, "Not sleeping for once. That's new."

"I don't nap up here as much as you'd think." Ritsudo muttered, glancing at Kyomei as he leaned against the fencing himself, "Come to grab me for something?"

"No… just… caught word." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo sighing.

"What the heck is bothering you huh?" Ritsudo asked, Kyomei lifting a brow, "You've had that lame look on your face for almost a damn _month._ It's getting old to look at… and frankly makes you look pathetic. Does this have to do with why you and Tsubasa ain't talking?"

"W-What?! What makes you… makes you think that?" Kyomei looked aside, Ritsudo sighing, lifting a hand and bringing his fist down on his senior's head, Kyomei yelping, "Ow…"

"I _hate_ seeing people deny what they're thinking. If you have something to say, just be fucking honest about it. Makes like helluva lot easier. "Honesty is the best policy" ain't that bad a phrase… problem is, people don't appreciate honesty when it comes in the form of blunt comments." Ritsudo murmured, not really noticing the short anecdote coming from him.

"It's just… ugh…" Kyomei muttered, sitting down, a long, deep breath coming from him, "Yeah… it's Tsubasa. It's just so… it bothers me. We've known each other since we were small, and even if she was shy Tsubasa and I have always been able to talk to each other about things. But… ever since two years ago when… when Kanade died and Koto left… she changed."

"Wait so she _hasn't_ always been the stone hearted bitch she is now?" Ritsudo's tone was one of general surprise, Kyomei shooting him a notable glare, but then realizing Ritsudo was just being blunt as usual… and maybe a bit right.

"I wouldn't use _that_ word but… she can be kind of mean, yes." Kyomei admitted, Ritsudo deciding it'd be best to sit down so as _not_ to strain his neck looking down, "No doubt you've at least heard her saying her "I am a sword" bit… I just want to help, but it feels like every time I offer to at least _be there_ she just gets further away… and I don't even know why it's troubling me so much."

" _Is he seriously this goddamn dense?! Everyone at the base knows! Then again not like Tsubasa does either, she's just as dense!"_ Ritsudo thought, his look betraying some frustration, a sigh passing his lips, "Look, I don't have experience with girls like Tsubasa, I go for more the tsundere or, well, _regular,_ if a bit more uh… shit, don't wanna say it… I'll say "thinks outside the box" types… no wait that's not right… ah fuck it… point is, I ain't gonna be much of a help. _You're_ her childhood friend… all I can say is figure it out. You're the user of the bow that can pierce anything… I doubt that solid armor of hers would last long."

"Wait… you mean _shoot_ Tsubasa with Vijaya?"

"I was making a comparison!" Ritsudo snapped, obviously not liking his statement being taken literally, his hand meeting his face, "I'm _saying_ there's no way that wall she's built up is impossible to get around."

"Wall?"

"AAGGHH! An emotional wall! She's built up a _metaphorical_ wall around herself and shut out her own emotions… sure, everyone grieves differently, but shutting people out doesn't help." Ritsudo muttered.

"Don't… you also shut out people?" Kyomei asked.

"I don't interact with people not worth my time… there's a difference." Ritsudo replied, his tone bitter at that, Kyomei again focusing on the look in his eyes.

" _His eyes look just like Tsubasa's… cold, dead…"_ Kyomei thought, Ritsudo giving a sigh.

"Back to my point: She's gonna have to listen eventually. I _get_ she's still grieving… but, like I said that night, she's not moving on and growing. Yeah she may be a stronger Harmonic… but that's not the point."

"Then… what _is_ your point?" Kyomei asked, Ritsudo letting out a breath, looking Kyomei dead in the eyes, his expression a rare show of seriousness.

"She's not stronger _as a person._ Having the strength to move on and grow from a loss can define someone… and Tsubasa doesn't have that. I don't know her, I can't help… you do, so you can. Besides… she's probably trying to help you two… problem is both of you kinda suck at being honest with each other." Ritsudo stated, the last statement being somewhere between snark and being serious.

"You're actually a nice guy… aren't you?" Kyomei chuckled, Ritsudo looking away.

"Nope… just trying to offer some help."

"Then why did you look away?"

"Shut up."

Kyomei let out a chuckle as Ritsudo pulled up his hood to hide his face, then looking down with a small but still somewhat sad grin, "If it's possible, I'd like to help you too, you know."

"Not possible." Ritsudo flatly said, "I'm not…"

Both boys stopped when Ritsudo's communicator began buzzing, Ritsudo whipping the device out and answering.

"Yo!... uh huh… alright, I can meet up with her at the campus entrance… right… no, Kyomei's here… right, I'll send him her way… Got it." Ritsudo nodded along and answered, hanging up and turning to Kyomei, "Guess we got business. Hibiki and I are going ahead… Tsubasa's a bit further out, but Boss asked me to tell you to go meet up with her if you can."

"Right. I'll do that… good luck." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo chuckling as he pocketed his communicator and pulled his pendant out from under his shirt.

"Whatever… I make my own luck."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Whooo BOY was that long! The flashback was just DRAINING to write… ugh. But, progress! Sweet, sweet progress! And to answer some current and eventual questions, no doubt, the songs I use, at least not ones for the guys half the time,** _ **are**_ **from the anime, like in chapter one, that was Gyakkou no Flugel… otherwise the guys have particular songs I've chosen that EXIST… or as will be seen soon, original ones done by myself. See ya'll next chapter!**


	4. Stanza IV

_**Stanza IV: Sinistro Melodia**_

"So you _have_ to make this call?" Ritsudo fiddled with his pendant as Hibiki pulled out her phone, dialing away on it, Ritsudo peering down the stairwell into the subway.

"Yeah… I need to tell Miku I'm sorry." Hibiki stated, Ritsudo letting out a sigh.

"Make it fast, those things aren't gonna wait forever." Ritsudo murmured, Hibiki nodded as her phone rang.

"… Sorry. Something came up. I might not be able to see the shooting stars with you tonight." Hibiki answered her friend on the other end, nodding to what Ritsudo assumed was a question, "Yeah… Thank you. I'm sorry."

"Ready?" Ritsudo asked, Hibiki nodding as she hung up, both facing the swarm of Noise below as they began moving up the steps.

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

 ** _(Begin song: Gekisou - Gungnir from the OST)_**

Hibiki took the first charge, her fist landing square on a Noise, Ritsudo jumping over and impaling the next one, Hibiki following suit by kicking a Noise going for Ritsudo's back as he then shot around and slashed the next one to follow, the two quickly making their way down the steps, and as the two continued to cut and punch their way deeper into the subway, the comm line buzzing got their attention.

" _One signal is bigger than the rest!"_ Genjuuro's voice was the one to come through as the pair entered the main area, _"Tsubasa and Kyomei will be there soon. Hang on until then. Don't do anything stupid."_

"I know!" Hibiki responded, Ritsudo standing up from having bat a Noise aside. "I'll just do what I can!"

"Depends on if we get it first or not." Ritsudo stated, the two spotting what was likely the Noise of subject, a taller, dark pink colored noise that had what looked like an oversized bushel of _grapes_ on it's back, "Let's make this fun!"

A few of the forward Noise charged the two Symphogears, only becoming cannon fodder as they were basically swatted aside, but, the new Noise used the opening it had to launch a few of it's balls off of it's body, Hibiki and Ritsudo yelping when it turned out the orbs were _explosives,_ the few that were launched causing a segment of the ceiling to cave in on the two, the pink Noise retreating further into the subway as it's fellows surrounded the pile of rubble, Ritsudo rising up first, a notable gleam of red in his eyes as he gripped his sword tighter, another growl sounding from Hibiki, still beneath the rubble but unharmed.

"I wanted to see them…" Hibiki grumbled, a keen sounding in the air and the rubble being blown aside, Hibiki rushing forward and punching through the first Noise to get close, the others not faring long under the enraged assault from the girl, "I wanted to see the shooting stars! I wanted to see the shooting stars with Miku!"

"I swear I'm getting that stupid grapevine of a Noise!" Ritsudo didn't really seem to have paid much attention to Hibiki's rant as she let out a roar, a notable flicker of black drifting off his sword as he turned to face the _other_ group of Noise coming at them, spinning the blade one before shooting forward, vanishing from sight for a moment before appearing behind them, mimicking the motion of sheathing his sword, a gleam coming from the weapon as the air then burst as if multiple sword slashes had just been made, the Noise crumbling as they were caught in the delayed attack.

 _-STANCE 2: SPINDEL ERASURE-_

Hibiki and Ritusdo jumped down the passage and to the rail line, the pink Noise fleeing as they landed, Ritsudo clicking his tongue, turning to Hibiki when he heard a crash, her fist on the wall and a small crater beneath it as her shadowed over glare followed the Noise.

"And you… you ruined my promise!" Hibiki snapped, Ritsudo letting out an annoyed sound when the pink Noise spawned _more_ of it's compatriots with it's orbs, Hibiki trudging forward, Ritsudo's expression befuddled as Hibiki's face seemed shadowed over, her eyes _glaring_ red, "You made me lie… You took away my peaceful world! My calm, every day life… You took it all away!"

Ritsudo flinched when Hibiki assaulted the Noise in a display of nothing but sheer brutality, tearing the creatures apart like an animal with a wild, snarling grin on her face as she took the lead in the fight, grinding her heel into the last one, and once it was gone, more of the explosive orbs followed, and while Hibiki didn't take damage, it _did_ seem to snap her out of her blind rage.

"The hell was that?" Ritsudo muttered, clicking his tongue and running ahead. "Come on! We'll get it before it tries to get above ground!"

"R-Right!" Hibiki nodded, following after Ritusdo as he jumped down to the tracks as the Noise fled, the two skidding to a stop when the Noise flung it's orbs upwards, the explosions boring a hole up to the surface, jumping up through the hole, Ritsudo kicking some of the rubble.

"Just my rotten luck!" Ritsudo snapped, placing his sword across his shoulders, both he and Hibiki's eyes widening when what _looked_ like a shooting star came by.

"A shooting star?" Hibiki murmured.

 _ **(End song)**_

"That's not a shooting star… hagh… that's our backup." Ritsudo muttered, the ring of Tsubasa's own song and a blue flash in the air telling of it, Ritsudo and Hibiki climbing to the surface, watching as Tsubasa descended to the ground once the Noise was destroyed, her Gear letting out a burst of steam before she stood.

"I have something I want to protect too!" Hibiki shouted, Tsubasa standing, only glancing at the two, Kyomei arriving just then as well, "So…"

"So what? What are you going to do?"

A new voice broke the silence between the four users, all of them turning to the source, Tsubasa and Kyomei's eyes widening as they saw the figure, the clouds moving to allow more moonlight to show, illuminating the new figure, showing them to be a girl in white, light violet accented armor, tail like segments coming from the shoulders, the girl's eyes covered by a red accented visor that still showed pale, nearly white lilac hair.

"The Nehushtan Armor…" Tsubasa muttered, Ritsudo raising a brow.

" _Nehushtan… you mean like that brass snake from the Hebrew Bible?"_ Ritsudo thought. But, the girl wasn't the only one to show themselves as shifts in the grass could be heard behind the bunch, again, turning to see the new figure, but this one was _far_ more vague. While one could gander the individual was a male by their build alone, in head to two they were covered in black armor accented by glowing red lines, almost like a visible shadow, the figure's face covered by a concealing helmet and visor that gave nothing of their appearance away, only a red line in the visor hinting at anything as it flickered to light.

"Well look who showed up! Were you following me this whole time?" The Nehushtan girl hummed, pointing at the black armored individual, who only remained silent, to her seeming amusement as she put a hand on her hip, "Eh, doesn't matter… still, you guys know where this armor came from?"

"Because of my failure, it was stolen two years ago. I'll never forget." Tsubasa muttered, Kyomei stuck looking between the armored girl and the dark figure, who's gaze seemed fixated on _him_ among all the others. "And, I'll never forget the life that was stolen because of me!" Tsubasa raised her sword in a ready stance, the Nehushtan grabbing one of the chains and producing another item, a staff like piece that opened up, a cocky smirk on the enemies face, "The reason I lost Kanade… and the Gungnir Symphogear she left behind… both have come back to me after two years… but, this cruelty feels good to me!"

"Don't, Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki then ran up and grabbed Tsubasa, the others looking at her in surprise, "That's a person! Another human!"

"It's a battlefield! What's wrong with you?!" Tsubasa, Ritsudo, _and_ the Nehushtan girl all snapped the same thing at the same time, the three looking between each other, Tsubasa smirking.

"I think you and I are gonna get along just fine." Tsubasa spoke, the Nehushtan girl chuckling.

"Then wanna have some fun?" The Nehushtan girl threw the chain like item forward, Tsubasa pushing Hibiki aside and leaping, Ritsudo catching Hibiki as he then turned to face the second of their enemies, Kyomei already drawing his own weapons as the fight with Tsubasa and the Nehushtan girl began.

"Don't you two! That's another person!" Hibiki shouted, Ritsudo shooting a glare at her.

"Yeah, and an enemy! If this guy is with that cocky girl then that means he's our enemy and here for a fight!" Ritsudo snapped, Kyomei's look uneasy as the black armored figure then flicked out his arm, from underneath his gauntlet, an item shooting out then quickly extended into a red lance that bore an ominous aura about it, the individual then twirling it and taking a stance, Kyomei's uneasy look growing tense.

"That stance… it's familiar… different, but familiar, just like…" Kyomei muttered, his eyes then widening as shock hit him, "Just like Koto's stance… who are you?!"

"A Tuner… just like you." The masked figure stated, their voice coming out and sounding outright _unnatural_ in it's deepness and the way it wavered _,_ synthesized almost, more like a machine than a person. The masked figure than shot forward with their spear, Ritsudo jumping in front of Kyomei and blocking the blow, his own visor closing as sparks flew between his katana and his enemies spear tip.

"Y'know, I kinda wanted to fight the cocky lookin' chick… but you seem a hell of a lot more fun!" Ritsudo snapped, swinging to break the lock, the masked Tuner dodging the coming slash and skidding back, looking closely at Ritsudo's sword.

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi… but… the blade does not truly answer to you." The masked Tuner murmured, shooting forward again, Ritsudo's attempt at blocking only leading to a fake out, the boy _barely_ managing to dodge the real strike as it came at him, a bit of his hair getting cut by the blade of the spear as it came within centimeters of his visor, the masked Tuner quickly changing his stance and grabbing the spear _mid thrust,_ swinging it back around to slam it into Ritsudo's sword, sending the young man _flying_ backwards, Ritsudo flipping off the ground and skidding to a stop.

Kyomei was stuck in a stunned trance as his eyes kept flitting between both fights, Tsubasa avoiding the whips of the Nehushtan girl as she flailed them about, clearly having the upper hand due to her Relic being complete, while Ritsudo was being _easily_ overwhelmed by the masked Tuner, his nimble spear barely being dodged or blocked, and any attempts by Ritsudo to attack being parried or insultingly avoided, though his shock further when the Nehushtan girl pulled out her staff, and from it _summoned_ four Noise, these ones like tall, red poles with legs, Hibiki turning to red from them, only to be caught when they fired webbing like material at her.

"No… no way…" Hibiki murmured, yelping when four cracks of gunfire sounded, the Noise crumbling and released her, Kyomei standing not far off with his guns smoking, though when it came to trying to think of who to engage, he was torn.

"Tch, forgot about that one." The Nehushtan girl clicked her tongue, then using one of the whips to block Tsubasa's sword.

"Were you so busy with her you forgot me?!" Tsubasa snapped, her enemy only smirking, then yelping when Tsubasa hit the ground and swung her foot down, stumbling her foe and going for another kick, which was all too easily blocked.

"Don't be so arrogant!" The Nehushtan girl snapped, grabbing Tsubasa's leg and throwing her to the ground, moving fast enough to stop her role by stamping her foot down on Tsubasa's head, and at the other fight going on, Ritsudo was again swatted aside by his foe, who then moved behind him in a blink, Ritsudo's attempted dodge instead resulting in the tip of the spear grazing his left side, the protection of his armor _just_ keeping him from being seriously injured, but a bleeding gash could be seen beneath the opening made by the spear, Ritsudo clutching his side as his enemy pointed his weapon at him.

"Damn… who the heck is this guy? He's tough…" Ritsudo grumbled, "This isn't any fun…"

"Fun? You honestly went into this looking for fun? How pitiful." The masked Tuner muttered, Ritsudo growling, "You are someone who seeks excitement merely to fill the gap you yourself perpetuate… you are someone who doesn't feel his life has any meaning to it, and so you decide to seek cheap ways to fill the void left in your heart… it's pitiful."

"SHUT UP!" Ritsudo snapped, shooting forward and swinging, his blade locking with his enemy's spear, though it was clear the masked Tuner was just toying with Ritsudo, a swift shift of his spear shifting Ritsudo's sword along and causing the boy to stumble forward, the armored man swinging his leg around and kicking Ritsudo off, almost coincidentally causing him and Tsubasa to collide, both showing mixes of anger and frustration at being so easily overwhelmed. "Damn that guy…"

"And she has complete control over her armor…" Tsubasa muttered, the Nehushtan girl smirking.

"Taking time to think in the middle of a fight?!" The Nehushtan girl whipped out the staff again and summoned a swarm of Noise, Tsubasa and Ritsudo shooting off and dealing with the crowd, Tsubasa with her skills, and Ritsudo notably having that same red gleam in his eyes, a black aura beginning to surround him as he again clashed with the masked Tuner's spear, and as the fighting continued, Hibiki looked just as torn as Kyomei did, then looking at a gauntlet.

"That's right, my Armed Gear!" Hibiki started fiddling with the gauntlet, trying to figure out just _what_ to do, "If I'm going to take Kanade's place, I need an Armed Gear too! If I had mine… come out! Come out, Armed Gear!"

"Put the gauntlets together! That's how Kanade used her Armed Gear!" Kyomei shouted, his torn look turning almost neutral as his handguns reangled, putting both together, the two weapons reforming into a bow, a line of light connecting the two ends, an arrow of light forming as Kyomei pulled the line back, "If I can't decide which to fight alone… then I'll just shoot everything around here! Tsubasa, Ritsudo, get back!"

Tsubasa spotted what Kyomei was readying and moved away from the range, much to the confusion of the Nehushtan girl, and Ritsudo's fight with the masked Tuner had his attention elsewhere, Kyomei then released the arrow, which shot high into the air before a red gleam followed, dozens of arrows then raining down around the area and hitting anything unfortunate enough to be caught in the danger zone, all of the summoned Noise being swept away, whilst the Nehushtan girl blocked the ones that almost hit her.

 _-BHRAMA'S JUDGEMENT-_

"Hibiki now!" Kyomei shouted, Hibiki nodding and slamming her gauntlets together at their flat bases… only for nothing to happen. The two items remained as they were, Kyomei's eyes widening in surprise, Hibiki even more confused at the lack of anything even occurring, "That… that should have worked!"

"Huh? Why? Why didn't anything happen?" Hibiki murmured.

"Geez… that guy with the bow just became annoying!" The Nehushtan girl muttered, kicking aside some of the remaining light arrows stuck in the ground, then deflecting three thrown daggers from Tsubasa, "Stop dodging!"

At the other end, the masked Tuner again pushed Ritsudo back, who seemed almost near being in the same state Hibiki had been in just a while earlier, the masked enemy spinning his spear and aiming it, the red weapon becoming cloaked in a red aura almost like a flame as it's wielder then gripped it with obvious intent to throw it, Ritsudo moving to charge when the spear was thrown, his attempt to dodge _seeming_ successful… at least until the spear changed direction midflight, Ritsudo's eyes wide as he turned while it angled through the air until it came at him again, blocking the strike, but an explosion of red followed the strike once it impacted with Ritsudo's sword.

 _-SOARING DEATH-_

"GUAAAAGH!" Ritsudo was sent flying out of the explosion, the spear returning to it's owner's hands, Ritsudo returned to a normal state, but seemingly unable to get up as he struggled to even lift himself off the ground a bit. Tsubasa was no better off, as she too was downed from an attack by the Nehushtan girl, who bore a smarmy grin as she looked down at Tsubasa.

"What a failure." The Nehushtan girl scoffed.

"Stop toying around. You know why you're here." The masked Tuner rumbled, the Nehushtan girl clicking her tongue.

"I _know!_ Besides, the girl has just been standing there anyway!" The Nehushtan girl stated, looking between the two fallen gear users, Kyomei rushed to Tsubasa's side, and Hibiki to Ritsudo's to try and support him.

"You're right… I am a failure." Tsubasa grumbled, Kyomei blinking as Tsubasa began struggling upright, "I've trained my body to become a sword. And on that day… I survived anyway. I shamed myself as a failed sword. But that ends today." Tsubasa drove her sword into the ground to serve as a support, managing to look up towards the moon, "If I can take back the Nehushtan, my honor will be restored…"

"Yeah? Just try and take it off me-" The Nehushtan girl stepped forward, Kyomei drawing his bow, but then somewhat lowering the weapon when their enemy suddenly froze, spotting why: One of the daggers Tsubasa had thrown, in the ground and stuck in the girl's shadow.

 _-SHADOW WEAVE-_

"She's paralyzed me! No way… you can't-" The Nehushtan girl seemed to be reaching the same realization Kyomei was, his own expression shocked as he looked at Tsubasa.

"I'll finish this while the moon is out." Tsubasa muttered, Kyomei grabbing her shoulders.

"Tsubasa you can't! If you sing the Swan Song you'll… ngh, you don't have to do that! That's why I'm here!" Kyomei stated, Tsubasa moving his arms aside, a quick move following from her, and Kyomei himself was pinned on his own shadow, "Tsubasa!"

"The girl seeks death as retribution for her failing? Hmph… how quick some are to choose falling in a clamor than accepting their losses." The masked Tuner stated, Kyomei looking at him, Ritsudo managing to sit up with Hibiki's help, glaring at the spear wielder as he turned his attention to him, "Of note to you… with a will as fickle as yours, a resolve without foundation, that sword will never obey you… you are weak, without direction… without purpose. You may as well be as dead outside as you are inside."

"Fuck… you…" Ritsudo growled, the masked Tuner then stepping back, gesturing towards Tsubasa as she stepped away from Kyomei, Ritsudo and Hibiki turning around.

"Tsubasa-san?!" Hibiki hasped, Tsubasa pointing her blade at Hibiki, as if in declaration.

"I'll show you how a defender lives! Never forget this!" Tsubasa's gaze was hardened, intense, and showing she was hellbent on going through with this, Kyomei struggling against the binding as Tsubasa turned her back to him.

"Tsubasa, stop this! Don't… please, don't sing that song! Don't do this…" Kyomei's struggle was in vain as he kept struggling against the pin, Tsubasa glancing at him, a sad smile on her face, lifting her sword as she looked forward, "Tsubasa, DON'T!"

 _ **Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal  
Emustolronzen Finé el Balal Zizzl  
Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal  
Emustolronzen Finé el Zizzl**_

"TSUBASA!" Kyomei screamed, Tsubasa walking towards the Nehushtan girl as she continue struggling against her own bind, pulling out the staff to summon Noise to block Tsubasa, only for her to appear right in front of her as she finished the song, blood running out from Tsubasa's mouth, followed by a pure explosion of energy and force that blew away everything near it, the Nehushtan girl getting the brunt of it, being at the epicenter of the burst, the others being sent flying back, whilst the masked Tuner shot away from the explosion, skidding to a stop as the air continued to whip around, and once it ceased, one leap leading him to where the Nehushtan girl had landed, her armor broken in multiple places.

"Dammit… that girl is nuts!" The Nehushtan girl grumbled, wincing in pain as the armor began regenerating, the item itself looking as if it was burrowing into her.

"We need to leave… no point in remaining here in the wake of this. Get up, Chris." The masked Tuner stated, the Nehushtan girl growling as she managed to stand.

"Yeah yeah…" The girl muttered, the two leaving as they launched into the air, and back at the epicenter of the explosion, Tsubasa was standing at the middle amid the shallow crater, Kyomei the first to rush over despite the damage to his own armor, Hibiki managing to get near with the injured, unresponsive Ritsudo supported over a shoulder.

"Tsubasa?!" Kyomei shouted, stopping when a car pulled up, Genjuuro and Ryouko stepping out of the vehicle.

"Are you okay, Tsubasa?!" Genjuuro shouted, he and Kyomei looking equally concerned.

"I am a defender that also protects humanity." Tsubasa murmured, turning to the others, their eyes widening in horror at the sight, her front practically drenched in blood, more running down her face from her mouth and eyes, Tsubasa's gaze blank, staring off into nowhere, "I am not a blade that will break here…"

"Tsubasa!" Kyomei shouted, catching Tsubasa as her eyes closed and she collapsed, quickly putting an ear to her chest, relief breaking through the panic, "She's alive… she's alive…"

Ritsudo stepped off of Hibiki's support as Genjuuro put a hand on Kyomei's back as he began breaking down into sobs, the boy's own gaze blank, but in it's own way, Genjuuro keeping a firm but gentle grasp on Kyomei's shoulder.

"Come on. Medical is on their way. It'll be fine." Genjuuro murmured, Kyomei nodding, Hibiki stunned, and Ritsudo's face expressionless…

* * *

 _ **Lydian Academy/2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Div. HQ Upper Wing**_

"She survived. Barely. But until she recovers, she must remain completely still. It's a very unstable situation."

Genjuuro and a few of the investigation agents bowed in front of the doctor as the news was given on Tsubasa's condition.

"Thank you." Genjuuro stated, turning to the agents as they stood straight, "We will learn where the armor went. Don't miss a single clue!"

And as the gathering left, in the only lit nearby booth, a sullen Kyomei and Hibiki were seated, staring at the floor, while Ritsudo sat in the next booth on the side, his hood raised and shrouding his face, his hands in his pockets.

"There's no need to feel bad."

Kyomei and Hibiki looked up, seeing Shinji approach, the young man bringing his own personal device to one of the nearby machines.

"Tsubasa-san did that of her own free will." Shinji stated, Kyomei's hands bunching together.

"But she didn't _have to!_ I was there… _we_ were there! I could have… I could have done something…" Kyomei murmured, Shinji stepping over and putting a hand on Kyomei's head.

"Don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault." Shinji stated, Kyomei shaking his head.

"Still… if she'd died… if Tsubasa had died… I don't know what I'd do… I can't… I can't lose someone else… I can't lose her…" Kyomei's voice faded back into silent, restrained sobs, Shinji sitting down but keeping a hand on the boy's head.

"Kyomei-san…" Hibiki murmured, Kyomei falling silent after a moment, standing up and leaving, Shinji stopping Hibiki from going after him, "But, Ogawa-san…"

"Don't worry… I have a feeling I know where he's going… Kyomei doesn't want to let Tsubasa-san go through this on her own." Shinji stated, Hibiki blinking, "I'm sure you know this, but Tsubasa-san was once in a musical partnership."

"Zwei Wing, right?" Hibiki asked, Shinji nodding, Ritsudo seeming to cue in from his own spot on the other end of the wall, his hand shifting under his hood, clearly pulling his headphones down.

"Her partner was Amou Kanade-san. Wielder of the Gungnir Symphogear now embedded close to your heart." Shinji explained, his look solemn, but firm, "That day two years ago, to minimize the damage dealt by the Noise attack, Kanade-san unleashed her Swan Song."

"Swan Song… Tsubasa-san used that term too." Hibiki murmured.

"The Swan Song pushes the Symphogear beyond it's limits, without regard for the massive strain on it's user. It destroyed the massive Noise army in an instant. But it took Kanade-san's life." Shinji stated, Hibiki glancing down.

"Was it to save me?"

"Kanade-san sacrificed herself, and Zwei Wing was disbanded. Following this, Kanade-san's partnered Tuner, a young man named Koto Cadenza, also left us, and we haven't heard from him in the two years since… and while Kyomei has surely moved on from the loss, Tsubasa-san feels she is all alone, and has been fighting desperately to fill the hole left by Kanade-san… She never had fun or fell in love, like girls her age should." Shinji continued on with the story, Hibiki bearing a troubled look as she listened, "She put aside her personality to live her life as a sword. And today, to fulfill her duty as a blade, she sang her song, fully prepared to die… I think the saddest part is that in doing this, Tsubasa shut herself out from realizing she wasn't alone. Kyomei has done everything he could to stick with her through thick and thin, trying to mend the gap, but, sadly, he's not one to easily grasp things others find simple or easy when it comes to dealing with others. He tries so hard, so earnestly, but, it fell on deaf ears with Tsubasa… Kyomei may not even realize his care for Tsubasa isn't just that of a close friend or comrade… though, both of them are somewhat dense in that regard. And today… I feel Kyomei came very close to breaking… losing Tsubasa-san would have done irreparable damage to him… it's strange, isn't it? But, that's the way Kazanari Tsubasa lives her life."

"That's so horrible…" Hibiki murmured, tears falling from her cheeks, "And I didn't know anything about her… But, I said I wanted to fight with her anyway. I said I could take Kanade-san's place…"

"I don't want you to be a replacement for Kanade-san, in the same way Ritsudo-kun isn't a replacement for Koto. Nobody wants that." Shinji spoke, Hibiki shaking as she cried, "Hey, Hibiki-san, and Ritsudo-kun, if you're listening… would you do something for me?"

Hibiki wiped off her eyes and looked up, and one could just see Ritsudo peering in from the corner, Shinji looking between both.

"Please don't hate Tsubasa-san, and please help Kyomei… don't let them be alone in the world." Shinji requested, Hibiki nodding.

"Yes."

All that came from Ritsudo was a small hum, the boy walking past, Hibiki's eyes wide as she saw the look in his eyes as he passed… empty, almost lifeless, not a trace of the person she'd gotten to know over the month there… or, maybe she was finally seeing what he really looked like, now that she'd actually looked closely… those dead eyes honestly disturbed the girl in the moment she saw them.

"Ritsu…" Hibiki murmured, Shinji letting out a breath.

"And then Ritsudo-kun… he's had a very troubled life, one that hasn't been easy for him… it's why he's always looking for something to make things fun, to interest him… when he joined us two years ago, after that very same incident, he practically jumped at the chance we offered... that being _after_ the commander found him at a police station." Shinji stated, Hibiki's eyes getting a bit wider, "He's not only survived a Noise attack himself, but he also lost his parents to the Noise… I don't know precisely _what_ made him the person he is, but I feel that attitude of his hides a lot more than he would like to show, something he wants to forget. Hibiki, may I ask, what happened during that battle?"

"Well… other than the Nehushtan girl… there was another, a Tuner, wielding a spear… he, said some things. To Ritsu specifically… he said "you are weak, without direction… without purpose." But, I don't know what that meant." Hibiki stated, Shinji letting out a hum.

"I see… well, now it makes a _bit_ more sense." Shinji hummed, Hibiki raising a brow, "I don't think I can really confirm it… but perhaps, Ritsudo-kun is one of those people who lacks, or feels he lacks, a proper direction in his life. It's a problem many face, though for a variety of reasons."

"Feels like he lacks direction? But… he doesn't _seem_ like the kind of person who does! I mean… sure he can be a _bit_ mean sometimes and he's always muttering about how bored he is… and he's always really quiet and… his eyes." Hibiki murmured, then it slowly dawned on her that that was likely the _exact_ reason Ritsudo said such things, "He said that not because he was _just_ bored… but because he feels like he _can't_ enjoy it?"

"That may just be the case… though I don't think we'll be able to easily figure it out… some people have problems only they can solve. But, a nudge in the right direction may be what Ritsudo-kun needs." Shinji added, Hibiki putting a hand on her chin.

"A nudge in the right direction…"

And further in the hallway, Ritsudo came to a stop before he actually left the building, a bitter frown on his face as he thought back to the previous fight, and the ever so piercing words of that masked Tuner towards him…

"… _with a will as fickle as yours, a resolve without foundation, that sword will never obey you… you are weak, without direction… without purpose. You may as well be as dead outside as you are inside."_

Ritsudo then slammed a hand onto the wall, his fingers digging into his palm enough to draw a thin bit of blood, his bitter frown accented further as his blank eyes stared at the crimson line on his palm when he drew his hand back.

"I haven't changed at all… I'm still the sad excuse I was years ago… tch… and I seriously thought this was getting me somewhere… who was I kidding? There's no hope for someone like me… someone who can't even find a meaning to his life…" Ritsudo's tone was flat but tinged with bitterness and hurt, wiping his eyes when the warm feeling of tears came up, "What's the damn point?"

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Whooo BOY did shit just go down! Geezus age… I did this in two days… well, that's not new for me. But, otherwise, time for things to really start rolling along! Oh shall things begin to get good in this first cour. See ya'll next chapter!**


	5. Stanza V

_**Stanza V: Spezzato Risonanza**_

"Yeah… no, I'm fine. Mhmm… just, tell the teacher I'm gonna be out for a while, please?... thanks."

Kyomei hung up his phone as he finished the call, letting out a breath and pocketing the device, looking up from where he was seated, the gentle beeping of the heart monitor reaching his ears as he lowered his headphones, the comatose figure of Tsubasa still lit under the light of the chamber she was in to recover, Kyomei placing a hand on the glass.

"Never again… I'm never letting you suffer through anything alone again, Tsubasa… I get it now… I really do get it." Kyomei murmured, a small chuckling passing his lip, his tone a bit melancholy as he wiped off his eyes, "I was an idiot… for not realizing I've been in love with you for so long."

* * *

And off somewhere near the city, but far enough away to remain almost completely unknown to most, the masked Tuner stepped from the shadows and to the view of the mansion hidden within the trees, moving with utter silence despite his armor and into the building, screams easily heard through the doors of the main hall once he did enter, the crackling of electricity just as audible a noise.

"Lady Finé…" the Tuner spoke as the doors crashed open from a slight push, a woman with beyond waist length blonde hair turning from the restrained Chris, who was panting heavily as the machine she was latched to ceased it's functions.

"Ah, you've returned at last. How has the search gone?" The woman hummed, the Tuner closing the doors, though hardly moving from where he was.

"No one attempted to follow. It seems our foes were more concerned with their comrade." The Tuner stated, the blonde woman humming again, "Lady Finé, I personally don't consider them much of a threat. Especially the ones using the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and Gungnir."

"And why would that be?" Finé hummed, drawing her hand along the edge of the Tuner's mask, "I for one think both have enough to them to be interesting."

"One simply cannot _use_ the blade… and the girl is naïve. The simple fact she is one with her Relic does not change my view." The Tuner stated, Chris watching with perceivable distaste as Finé drew closer to the armored figure even more, her other hand tracing the lines of his armor with delicate, near sensual care. "I see no problems arising in your plans. I doubt any potential complications would be hard to quell."

"Don't go and get _too_ confident, my loyal Heavenscaller." Finé hummed, a whimsical grin on her face, "The child who had his heart pierced by the god slayer, and the girl who is one with her Relic… I choose to keep an eye on them for the reason they could become valuable in our efforts. One or perhaps both may very well speed up my goal."

"That is to be decided." The Tuner stated, letting out a groan like that of discomfort.

"Ohh? Is that shell of a body reacting again?" Finé hummed, the Tuner stepping to the side, a heavy breath coming out as he put a hand to his mask, "Go on… sing. Put him to sleep for now."

"As you wish…" The Tuner's voice was tense, the monotone not even giving off a hint of anything as a long breath rattled past the mask.

 _ **Because I'll be yours alone  
It might sound like a line from a movie  
but I ran headlong along a pitch dark road**_

 _ **I want to hold you until you break  
But for some reason my tears come pouring out  
I still don't understand anything**_

"Haaagh… he'll stay quiet, at least for a bit longer. The Ame-no-Habakiri girl and the Vijaya boy may have sparked something." The Tuner grumbled, Finé letting out a hum, while Chris just looked even more annoyed.

"A shame that song is from the boy's heart, Scortura… that song, and his voice." Finé hummed, a click sounding as the Tuner adjusted his mask, refitting it back into place.

"It's of no consequence." Scortura stated, seeming to glance at Chris, "Chris, next time, don't falter. And, achieve your goal. You are using the Nehushtan… make proper use of it."

"Screw you…" Chris grumbled, Scortura leaving the main room, Finé humming again.

"Now, where did we leave off?"

* * *

"So, this is where he ran off too? Hmph… the boy is smart but I wonder if he seriously forgot we could track him."

Genjuuro looked up at the apartment building Ritsudo had finally been traced to. It took several days of tracking his debit card purchases and surveillance feeds (not made easy by his tendency to wear a hood), but the 2nd Div. had finally tracked down the Tuner to this building in an older district of the city.

"Why would he come here?" Genjuuro hummed, rubbing some dirt off of the frontal plaque of the building, some surprise showing at the name, "So this is _that_ building. Now it's not as surprising."

Genjuuro entered the complex, obviously one that hadn't been touched in years, and while not dilapidated per say, the foyer alone definitely showed signs of the abandonment of the structure, the stairs creaking with each step on them as the burly man worked his way upwards, stopping at one room in particular, noting how the door's knob looked damaged, as if someone had broken it to get in, and the numbers on the door were just visible from the outline left over.

The door let out a creak that anyone else _would_ have noticed as Genjuro entered the empty apartment, but it was almost too easy to guess Ritsudo wouldn't be listening at all. It was a quick search too. Just a couple rooms in, and Genjuuro found the boy in one of them, sitting in the corner nearest the window, an old blanket with holes over his shoulders, but the floor surprisingly cleaned up, his hood raised and hiding his face, though the bulges on the side hinted at his headphones being raised as well.

"So this is where you ran off too." Genjuuro murmured, Ritsudo glancing up as he caught sight of the main, the gaze under his hood showing his eyes were as blank as they were after the previous battle. It felt more like staring into the eyes of a dead fish… nothing but an empty stare. It was odd, to see such a look from a young man who, as Genjuuro knew, dealt with things by taking the charge… and yet, here was that same boy, alone in an abandoned apartment building, looking more dead than alive.

"I won't even ask how you found me… So, what do _you_ want?" Ritsudo muttered, pulling his headphones down but not lowering his hood, Genjuuro sitting in front of the boy.

"To find you and take you home."

"Tch." Ritsudo clicked his tongue with a tone of disgust, Genjuuro's brow furrowing. "And why would you people want _me_ around? I know the lot of you know my past and record… hell, I'm sure you even know what that damn psyche eval you ran says."

"I do, and it's precisely why I'm here." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo looking to the side, "Moping around and pouting won't do you any good."

"Who said I was pouting?"

"Well, I'd make a more reasonable case if only you'd say what was bothering you. Hibiki-kun told us what happened… I'm just wondering why it shook you up so much." Genjuuro's voice had genuine concern in it, Ritsudo staring at the floor with an embittered look, "And I can't understand or help unless you say something."

"Understand? Help? How could _anyone_ understand or help someone like me?" Ritsudo bitterly chuckled, no sense of joking about, it was just a sad, angry kind of chuckle, feigning amusement, those empty eyes glaring at Genjuuro, "I'm just a wayward, empty shell of a person."

"Then what of the young man I knew over the past two years?"

"What do you think it was? It was an act, a stupid attempt at making something of myself when there _wasn't_ anything."

Ritsudo looked up to Genjuuro, those empty silver eyes sparking with something _dark._ Resentment, anger, animosity, it was like his eyes had opened as true windows to what was beneath, revealing why he had bouts of bitterness and flat, negative responses… whatever he was hiding, it was clear to see now that it was not pleasant emotions… and surely not thoughts a sixteen-year-old would normally have.

But then again, Narukami Ritsudo was not a person who was in any circumstances in a "normal" situation.

"You wanna know why I'm like this? How about I tell you about how some poor kid realized one day his life meant _nothing._ His parents were bottom of the rung, blue collar workers with no renown or influence. They didn't even stand out, and yet, they were content with things because their lives at least had some "meaning" to them, even if it was small. They had hope that, if they just worked hard, things would improve… but their kid didn't see it that way. Being a cog in the machine never sat well with him, but for the sake of his parents, he pressed on and smiled for them." Ritsudo's voice became darker in tone, but, Genjuuro easily say it was laden with sadness, and the way the boy curled up told far more than he was saying, clearly speaking of himself.

" _I'd be a fool of an adult if I couldn't see this child's trouble."_ Genjuuro thought, Ritsudo uncurling and walking to the window of the room, softly placing his hand on the stained, cracked glass, the ever faint remains of a child's scribbling visible, worn and nearly faded from time.

"And then, when this kid was little more than ten years old, his life went to _hell._ A disaster, an _accident._ That's what they called it. His parents died, and not a damn person seemed to care. The relatives who showed for the funeral were more concerned with who was gonna take care of the kid than the departed. That was when he realized something… just because someone's life has "meaning", it can become immediately invalidated depending on how they lived, and how they died. Celebrities and tyrants are remembered even centuries after their deaths because they had impact… but two happy people, content with their simple, drama-less life? Heh… as far as people are concerned, dirt on the road." Ritsudo continued, his fingernails scraping on the glass as he closed his hand, "So, when left alone with nothing to look forward too, with relatives who only decided to help him have the money to live, but chose to abandon him in every other way, he came to a conclusion… he _wouldn't_ be a forgettable cog. He'd make everyone look at him, and realize he had "meaning", a reason to be remembered, to not be invalidated like his parents had been… but that's the problem in a world like this. If you don't conform or follow the rules, people get pissed. Gain any advantage, and they try to tear you down."

The soft pitter of liquid hitting the floor then sounded as Ritsudo grew silent, and at first, Genjuuro thought it was a leak in the ceiling… but, one quick look, and the man realized it was tears falling to the floor, Ritsudo's hand slipping from the window as he turned, his eyes stoic, but tears spilling from his eyelids, his mouth twitching in a vain attempt to remain a solid line, cracking into a sad, bitter smile.

"And it only gets worse from there. Left all alone, without any sense of where he belonged or why he even _existed,_ this kid looked everywhere, did everything, to try and validate himself to others and to his own mind… the thing is, he was good at a lot of things, but none of it was satisfying, it was _boring…_ just like this world he, _I_ was born into… none of it makes sense, none of it makes me feel like I have a reason to be here… and then, two years ago, as my life went to shit for the second time, I thought I finally found something… and then, a few days ago, it hit home… I haven't changed at all, I've only gotten worse. I can't even use the damn sword I have right because of it. Some things don't change… and I guess they never will for me."

Ritsudo let out a bitter, angry breath, tinged by him gritting his teeth and the tears falling from his face. Admitting this, much less saying it to another person, was clearly ripping his ability to stay calm and collected apart as he brought a hand near his face, his body shuddering as it sank to the floor, struggles to hold back sobs of anger and sorrow coming out as choked cries.

"I don't believe you think that." Genjuuro stated, stepping over, surprising Ritsudo when he pulled him into a hug, one like a father trying to console their child, "Think of where you are, _what_ you are… as a Tuner, a Symphogear user, you sing the song within your heart… and yours is a cry for change. Deep down, somewhere within you, you want to change and move forward, to grow and become something. A song not only saying you want to change, but of trying to do it yourself. So _do that."_ Genjuuro then put his hands on Ritsudo's shoulders, looking the boy straight in his eyes, "Light a new fire in yourself. Look at where you are now, where you're standing, and decide for yourself what it is you wish to do. Finding "meaning" to one's life is a long and difficult process, but you _do_ have that… do not be blind to it. Your purpose found _you_ the day that sword you hold found you. It's your choice how to carry that purpose and make it your own ideal."

"My purpose… found me…" Ritsudo looked down at his pendant with those words, staring at the sword shaped item in bewilderment, Genjuuro nodding.

"You were chosen by that sword, the god slaying Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi… while fighting the Noise is a path you were thrust onto, from the song you sing when fighting, I believe a part of you has found something of worth in the path you're now walking. So, if you really _do_ seek change, if you wish to grasp your future, then stand up, Ritsudo. Stand up and turn your back on the past, discover your own "meaning" by your own volition, not anyone else's." Genjuuro spoke, Ritsudo looking at him with wide eyed bewilderment, "But also realize, this is not a path you walk alone. You have three others on the same road as you, and those who now support you and them as well. Remember that."

"Y-Yeah… can… can I have some time alone, please?" Ritsudo murmured, brushing Genjuuro's hands off of his shoulders, "I just… I need to think."

"Do what you must… but, remember what I've said. You're not alone Ritsudo. There are people who care about you, and they're worried about you… when you decide for yourself, come and find me. I'll listen to whatever answer you give." Genjuuro stated, patting Ritsudo on the shoulder before he left, Ritsudo turning and looking out, the rain clearing and the clouds parting, allowing rays of light to pierce through and begin brightening the streets below, Ritsudo clenching a fist as light began entering the room…

* * *

 _ **The Next Day/Arcade Center**_

"Hmmm… Kyomei-san said this is where Ritsu usually goes when he's not around the school…"

The blaring sounds of the various arcade machines going off filled the air as Hibiki scanned around the building for any sign of Ritsudo's presence, looking through the rows of machines.

"Ahhh… it's been a while since I came here…" Hibiki leaned back when she passed one of the cabinets, then stopping and slapping her hands on her cheeks, "No! I'm here to find Ritsu, I can come here later!"

Hibiki turned and headed up to the next floor, usually where most of the commotion was. If Ritsudo wasn't on the lower floor with the more casual games, than he had to be above, where things like the fighting game cabinets were, right?

And she didn't have to look long. That familiar white hood was easy to spot once Hibiki looked around for a minute, the bulges indicating Ritsudo's headphones being up clear as day.

"Hmm… so I can't say I'm here huh?" Hibiki hummed, then chuckling as she began creeping up behind him, "Hey, Ritsu!"

"WAGH!"

Ritsudo yelped as Hibiki's hands slammed onto his shoulders and yanked him back, then taking off his hood and headphones in one quick move.

"What the… Tachibana?!" Ritsudo yelped, Hibiki chuckling, Ritsudo looking to the side, "What are you doing here?"

"You've been nowhere for a few days, so I decided to look for you." Hibiki said, Ritsudo sighing.

"So, did Genjuuro tell you to do this?"

"What? No! I just remembered that Kyomei-san said if you were anywhere, you would probably be here at the arcade." Hibiki said, Ritsudo just sighing and lifting his hood again, "Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

"I'm just here to think." Ritsudo muttered, turning back to the game, Hibiki humming as she watched over his shoulder.

"I got it!" Hibiki clapped her hands together, Ritsudo looking back at her, the girl snickering, then pointing at Ritsudo, "We'll play a match. If I win, you have to tell me what's bothering you!"

"Where did that idea come from?" Ritsudo murmured, sighing as he finished the match, trailing Hibiki with his eyes as she went to the cabinet opposite of his, "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope!" Hibiki replied, the _clink_ of coins sliding into the slot sounding, the girl snickering as she grabbed the joystick, "And don't think I'll lose easily. I've had plenty of practice against my friends!"

"Ugh, fine. Let's just get this over with." Ritsudo muttered, sliding his own coins back in.

 _A couple minutes later…_

"What the…" Ritsudo stared at the screen in surprise as the "You Lose!" flashed in his face, Hibiki chuckling as the victorious song blared from her side.

"So, whaddya think, pretty good huh?" Hibiki mused, Ritsudo letting out a mutter, pulling his hood and headphones down.

"One more time." Ritsudo said, Hibiki blinking, "Again! I'm not taking that laying down!"

"Hehehe, alright then. We'll make it best 2 out of three!"

"Three of five."

"Alright then!"

The games started, Ritsudo first looking frustrated as he kept losing due to slip ups he was making in play, outright snarling as Hibiki celebrated her repeated wins against him, each round lost coming with a "One more time!" from Ritsudo, Hibiki occasionally peering over from her cabinet, Ritsudo's focus causing him to miss when she did, at some point, she cracked a wider grin before going back to the match.

"Hehehe… alright, _this_ is the last round Ritsu!"

"Fine then!" Ritsudo responded, a chuckle leaving his mouth as he readjusted his hands, the rapid tapping of buttons filling the air, the two players ignoring the crowd of watchers as the timer ticked down, Ritsudo's character gaining ground over Hibiki's…

" _You win!"_

"AHA!" Ritsudo shot to his feet with a victorious fist pump, Hibiki giggling as she leaned back. "Hehahahahaha, finally!"

"Hehe, that's the first time I've heard you laugh like that Ritsu." Hibiki said, Ritsudo lowering his arm, looking to the side with a sudden flush on his face, "It was fun, right?"

"I don't… know what you're talking about." Ritsudo grumbled, Hibiki chuckling as she stood up, leaning past his turned face.

"You can't fool me, not when you have a smile that big on your face!" Hibiki pointed out, Ritsudo seeming completely unaware of the excited grin that had broken out on his face during the gaming session, Hibiki standing straight, "So, you want to talk now?"

"It's… complicated." Ritsudo muttered, gesturing for Hibiki to follow him, the two heading to a more private spot in the diner lounge below, "The other day… Genjuuro found me where I was hiding out, and… we had a long talk about things I normally wouldn't tell anyone. I've been… thinking. About a lot of things.

Hibiki let out a hum as Ritsudo pulled his pendant out from his jacket, staring closely at the sword shaped item.

"I still don't get why this thing chose _me._ It just… happened." Ritsudo murmured, Hibiki tilting her head, "It was… a short time after my parents died. I was staying with my aunt until they could get me shipped to some apartment to stay out of their hair, and I was at one of the river banks, just sitting there throwing pebbles into the water out of boredom, when all of a sudden this glint hit the air and then… I found myself in the dirt with this thing sticking out of my chest."

"It came out of the air and stabbed you?!" Hibiki gasped, looking around as she put a hand over her mouth, sighing when she saw it was safe, Ritsudo nodding to her question, tugging down the collar of his shirt and revealing the forte shaped scar, Hibiki's eyes widening, Ritsudo letting his collar slide up, then starting to tug at the bandages on his left arm.

"Yeah… dragged my twelve-year-old butt back home and patched myself up… once it healed, the scar looked like this. I never got why until I learned about all of this Symphogear stuff… not helped by the scar on my arm from _that_ accident two years go." Ritsudo sighed again, ceasing his plucking of the wrappings on his arm and pulling his jacket's sleeve back down.

"Wait… were you at that Zwei Wing concert too?!"

"You just now figured that out?" Ritsudo said, Hibiki chuckling, "This one though…" he lifted his left arm, "Was because I got cut by some stray railing shrapnel or… something, I don't really know what happened, it was… all just too crazy."

"Yeah I… I know what you mean." Hibiki put a hand to her chest, "I have a scar like that too."

"Eh?"

"I'm serious!" Hibiki said, Ritsudo's eyes going wide as she pulled off the ribbon of her uniform, Ritsudo shooting up and slamming his hands on the table once Hibiki started going for the buttons of her shirt, "What?"

"Try to remember where we are." Ritsudo pinched the bridge of his nose, his hand hiding a light flush, Hibiki's face progressively turning a deeper shade of scarlet, then hurriedly redoing the buttons she'd undone, "I'll take your word for it. But… I don't know what it is I'm looking for with this thing. I _didn't_ know in the first place."

"Well then… start from something simple." Hibiki said, Ritsudo glancing back up at her, "I want to use my power to protect people! And I think you want to as well."

"Huh?"

"When we first met." Hibiki said, "The first thing you did was help me and that girl get away from the Noise."

"Th-that was… I was just doing my job… I had to make sure nobody would be around when I used my Gear." Ritsudo muttered, Hibiki shaking her head.

"I don't think so. You could've used your Gear even before helping me. You even led us to the power plant district to make more room."

"It was because I wanted to avoid collateral."

"That works but… come on… I've seen you after fighting Noise and saving people. You smile. Just like you did after you finally won a game against me."

"I…" Ritsudo fell short in his coming attempt to make some kind of objection, his expression becoming pensive, staring at the pendant in his hands again.

"It's probably weird to hear coming from me huh? I'm not really the type to say stuff like this, ahahahaha." Hibiki rubbed the back of her head as she laughed, ceasing when she noticed the look on Ritsudo's face, his previously dulled out eyes gaining a light to them… it was the kind of face one had upon finding an epiphany of themselves, "Ritsu?"

"That's it… even if it's not the full answer…" Ritsudo murmured, clutching the pendant tightly, "I need to talk to Genjuuro again…"

"I can help with that!" Hibiki said, Ritsudo blinking, "See, I've been training under him for a while now! You can come with me so you can tell him what you want to. Then maybe we can train together too!"

"Uh, wait, Tachibana… s-slow down a…"

"Come on, let's go!"

"HEY!" Ritsudo yelped as Hibiki grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his seat, _"Well… I guess this is happening."_

* * *

"Hibiki-kun running late? That's not normal." Genjuuro let out a hum as he finished setting up the training equipment for the day in the yard of his personal compound. The past few days had been eventful in their own right, with Hibiki having sought out Genjuuro's guidance to train herself and grow stronger as a fighter and gear user.

And since then she'd always been on time. So, the zeal filled girl running late was a curious happening indeed…

"Master!"

"Or not." Genjuuro hummed, putting his hands on his hips as Hibiki ran into the yard, "You're a bit late. Did you get held up by something?"

"Kind of… Ritsu! Hey, come on out!" Hibiki called out, Genjuuro blinking in a bit of surprise as Ritsudo stepped out, looking away a bit, "I brought Ritsu here because I thought he'd like to train too… also, he mentioned having something to say."

"Do you?" Genjuuro hummed curiously, Ritsudo nodding, looking at the man straight on, Genjuuro cracking a grin when he saw the boy's eyes were bright, no longer blank, a renewed flame burning in them as he let out a breath, one hand clenched.

"I've made up my mind… I want to fight the Noise, and stay a Tuner with the 2nd Division!" Ritsudo stated, his tone firm and determined, also, surprisingly clearer in tone as well, lacking the bitter undertones that were there before, "I want to protect people! I want to fight the Noise so nobody else has to become invalidated by them and the disasters they cause! I don't know what I'm exactly looking for... but I understand now that I'm at least on the right path for once in my meaningless life. So… please, let me start again! Let me start from the zero I've drawn, so that I can find the meaning behind this purpose I've been given!"

Hibiki blinked in a bit of surprise as Ritsudo put a hand to his chest, his tone growing stronger with the passing words until his words were those of someone firmly set in this determination he'd come to, Genjuuro stepping forward and placing a heavy hand on his shoulder, nodding.

"Good! That's the look you should have in your eyes." Genjuuro stated, "But be warned, my training will be tough. Hibiki-kun can attest to that."

"Then fine. I need to get stronger, so that I can actually fight, so that I can use the powers I have! That sword picked me, right? So please, teach me how to use it!" Ritsudo firmly replied, Hibiki chuckling and clapping him on the back.

"Alright! Let's do this together Ritsu! We'll both get stronger!" Hibiki chuckled, Ritsudo nodding, both turning to Genjuuro who folded his arms and let out his own small laugh.

"So, Ritsudo, are you by chance a fan of action movies?" Genjuuro inquired, Ritsudo tilting his head with a confused look as Hibiki chuckled again.

"Huh?"

* * *

For Tsubasa, it felt like she was drifting down through water. And with it, it also came with the realization that she was alive. It wasn't the cold feeling of death that was around her… rather, the remaining warm embrace of life.

" _I'm… alive. No… I just couldn't die properly. Why did Kanade live? And why did she die?"_

"You're too serious Tsubasa." Tsubasa gave a gasp as Kanade's voice entered her ears, "If you're too stiff, you'll snap someday."

A rare smile came to Tsubasa's face as she saw the features of her friend again, taking more of a sitting position, Kanade's smile familiar, and warm.

"Ever since you left me alone, I've been training even harder. I've defeated more Noise than I can count, I've put my life on the line again and again, kept fighting without asking myself why." Tsubasa stated, the seeming drift of water changing to that ruined stadium, the two girls back to back, with one another, "And then, I realized… that there was no meaning or value to my life."

"Left you alone? Heh… well, I wouldn't say that." Kanade replied, to Tsubasa's confusion, "I think that, behind the battle, or on the other side of it, there might be something else. That's what I've always thought, and what I've always seen. Hehe, thank Koto for some of that too."

"What is it?" Tsubasa asked.

"Something you have to find yourself, I think." Kanade replied, Tsubasa puffing out a cheek.

"You're always so mean to me. But you aren't even around to be mean to me anymore, are you?"

"Isn't that okay?"

"It isn't okay with me! I always want you by my side!"

"It's up to you to decide if I'm near or far… And besides, you've always had someone by your side. Don't be too blind to see it." Kanade stated, Tsubasa's eyes widening as she felt the descent again, another shape in front of her. "Now… I'll see ya' later. I've got someone else to have some words with."

"For me to decide? And… someone who was always beside me?" Tsubasa murmured, her eyes widening when the other shape became clearer to see… Kyomei, his back turned to her, but, slowly turning around until his ever smiling face was visible, "Then I choose…"

* * *

 _Beepbeepbeep BEEEEP_

Tsubasa's eyes slowly opened to find herself first being greeted by the doctors then rushing around once she was awake, scanning the sunlit room to soon view the school, but, the first face to clearly come into view was also the one she wanted to see.

Kyomei nearly tripped over himself rushing over, a small smile cracking on Tsubasa's face under the oxygen mask as she saw him, even _if_ Kyomei looked like a wreck. The dark bags under his eyes told of days without proper sleep, his hair messy and clearly not having been maintained at all, but his smile, his relieved, almost tearfully happy smile, rendered all of that moot, Tsubasa just managing to turn her head enough to return Kyomei's gaze, smiling more as he gave a relieved laugh while wiping off his eyes.

" _Of course… he's always been beside me, ever since we were children. You're right Kanade… I wasn't alone… just too blind to see it."_ Tsubasa thought, a calm feeling spreading through her, _"Don't worry Kanade. I'm not as serious as you said. I won't snap. That's why I'll humiliate myself by surviving again. And this time… I'll remember who has been beside me. Kyomei… thank you."_

Tsubasa managed to mouth the words, Kyomei stopping for a moment and nodding.

"You're welcome… man, you really had me worried." Kyomei replied, again wiping off his eyes, but his grin didn't falter, Tsubasa returning the smile with her own, to Kyomei's surprise, and a hint of red in his face, then rubbing the back of his head, "Welcome back!"

* * *

"Haaagh!"

"Kiyaaagh!"

Hibiki's gloved fist slammed against the wooden practice sword in Ritsudo's grip, Genjuuro watching the two spar as their feet moved across the grass of the yard with more finesse and practice than when they'd previously fought in battles without proper combat training.

" _Ritsudo taught himself a bit about fighting, but he was never quite up to snuff as a swordsman… and yet in just a few days he's already grasped the basics of several sword play styles just as Hibiki-kun is gaining an equally fast grip on martials arts forms."_ Genjuuro observed, his eyes following even the minute movements of his two students, "Alright, that's enough!"

Hibiki and Ritsudo came to a rapid stop with their movements, the two panting as they stepped down and turned to Genjuuro, the man giving a short clap.

"Well done the both of you. I admit, you're both fast learners, not to mention your efforts are impressive." Genjuuro stated, both teens nodding.

"Thank you master! We're doing our best!" Hibiki chuckled, Ritsudo nodding as he wiped off his brow with his sleeve.

"I didn't think just training off of stuff in action movies and then applying it could work so well either!" Ritsudo hummed, dropping the practice sword and grabbing his pendant, and in a flash, the pendant alone had shifted into it's sword form, Ritsudo smirking as he gave the blade a swing with a more _proper_ form and stance, "And now… this time, I definitely think Kusanagi will start listening to me… though maybe I'll have to ask first."

"Hehe, it's so cool you can draw out the sword without transforming!" Hibiki stated, eyeing the sword as Ritsudo ran a hand along the flat of it.

"Ryouko said it has something to do with Kusanagi being more complete… something about it technically being in an almost constantly active state, so I can use the sword alone in an emergency." Ritsudo murmured, the sword then reverting into the pendant. "But… hehe, after all this, I'm feeling a lot better than before! So don't worry… whatever's coming next, I'll be ready for it."

"Well, we won't know that until Ryouko comes back with our next orders or the Noise attack again… we also need to be wary of the Nehushtan girl and that masked Tuner." Genjuuro hummed, Hibiki and Ritsudo nodding.

"Actually… what was that spear he was using?" Hibiki asked.

"Gae Bulg." Genjuuro answered.

"The spear used by Cú Chulainn in Irish myth. It's said it was crafted from the bones of a cursed sea monster, and that the technique to use it means it'll almost never miss it's target when unleashed… it literally reverse causality to strike twice as well… or, at least that's the rumor." Ritsudo rattled off, noting the odd look he was getting from Hibiki. "What?"

"You're really smart Ritsu! How did you know that?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo sighing.

"I haven't spent the last two years sitting around doing nothing… other than the uh… thrill seeking, I was also doing research. I know quite a bit about Relics and their origins." Ritsudo replied, Genjuuro letting out a small laugh, Risudo clenching his hand over the pendant, "This time though… this time, I'm going to get it right!"

"Yeah!" Hibiki cheered, jumping up and throwing a fist skywards, landing and chuckling, "Wanna go for another round or two Ritsu? I can keep this up for a while!"

"Hehe, y'sure?" Ritsudo snickered, kicking up the practice sword and catching it cleanly, Genjuuro sighing as the two teens started up again.

"Probably best to just let them continue… they need to be prepared for whatever is coming next." Genjuuro murmured, a small grin then showing, "But, I don't have a doubt in my mind with these two. What kind of adult would I be if I couldn't believe in these kids?"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Annnnd GEEZUS part of this took it out of me…. But so glad I did it either way. Now, further and onwards! And for those who are gonna ask, the song was "Kimi dake no boku de iru kara" by Gackt… and there is a VERY good reason I picked out that one. Let the speculation commence!**


	6. Stanza VI

_**Stanza VI: Schianto Eco**_

 _ **Second Division HQ**_

"Wait… _what_ just happened?!" Ritsudo and Hibiki stared slack jawed at the screen of images in front of them, that of various dead bodies with clear bullet holes and damages, Genjuuro looking at the teens.

"The defense minister was murdered, as you can see." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo letting out a long breath as he folded his arms, Hibiki glancing at him.

"Murdered? Well, either this is those guys we met before making a move or something else is going on. I'v been a bit suspicious. I mean, downtime _is_ nice but for as long as we did? Come on." Ritsudo stated, Hibiki tilting her head.

"Suspicious? Why?" Hibiki asked. "You just said downtime is nice!"

"But the problem is we had a whole month of more Noise attacks than we'd gotten in that much time than ever before, and _then_ a girl with a complete Relic and her spear using pal show up, but then suddenly, when we're one, well, two, kinda, down, things just go quiet!" Ritsudo stated, Genjuuro humming himself, "It's got me suspicious about things. There's no way something isn't going on behind the scenes!"

"Ritsu, that uh… hmm, that actually makes a lot of sense." Hibiki hummed, putting a hand on her chin, a quizzical hum following suit from her, Genjuuro shrugging himself, everyone then looking to the door when it opened, Ryouko stepping in with a white case in hand.

"Hi everyone! I'm back!" Ryouko declared, her usually cheery demeanor about herself, but then immediately catching onto the urgent air, "What? You were that lonely?"

"Now ain't the time!" Ritsudo spouted.

"Defense Minister Hiroki has just been murdered." Genjuuro stated, Ryouko's eyes widening in shock.

"Really?!"

"Several extremist groups have already taken credit for the assassination. But, we don't have any details." Genjuuro confirmed, Ryouko scanning over the images herself, Ritsudo craning his neck a bit, a brow being raised when he saw what _looked_ like hints of red marring one of the corners of the case. "We're investigating as best we can, but…"

"No one could get a hold of you, so we were all worried!" Hibiki added, Ritsudo nodding.

"Yeah that was one of our concerns." Ritsudo added, Ryouko taking out her communicator, not even a ping coming from it when she clicked it's buttons.

"I guess it's broken." Ryouko answered, Ritsudo hanging his head with a sigh, Hibiki smiling awkwardly while Ryuko pocketed the device than set the case down, "But, thanks for worrying about me. And, the classified documents I got from the government are safe." Ryouko then extracted a small plastic box containing two chips, which surely had the plans in them, "Succeeding in our mission is the best thing we can do for him!"

* * *

The entire staff of the 2nd Division was gathered down at the lowest level of the base, the Abyss, the screen showing the stored Durandal, Ryouko stepping up to speak to the gathering, Hibiki and Ritsudo seated at the front of it, getting a good view at the sword that was no doubt the subject of his meeting.

"From the Noise appearing around Lydian Music Academy's High School, meaning, around the Special Disaster Response Team, Division 2, the government has concluded that their target is Sacrist D, Durandal, which is kept here on this level, the Abyss." Ryouko explained, the screen taking a closer view on the Relic sword, which as far as any could see aside from some weathering and some, was as complete as could be, "It's one of the few perfectly intact Relics, which the Japanese government took control of in exchange for assuming some of the EU's defaulted bonds, after their economic collapse."

"But where could we move it?" Sakuya inquired, "There's no place safer than here!"

"I'm with Sakuya. Why move the sword when it's this far underground and completely secured?" Ritsudo added his own question to the pool, _"Am I the only one suspicious about this plan in general?"_

"The special server room below Nagata. Also known as the "Memory Ruins." They've decided to move it there." Genjuuro answered _,_ though Ritsudo didn't look the least bit convinced of the idea, "Either way, since we're low on the totem pole, we don't have a say in it."

"Of course we don't." Ritsudo sighed, Ryouko then continuing.

"Durandal will be moved at 0500, tomorrow morning. The details are in this memory chip." Ryouko then displayed the item in question. Dismissed!"

* * *

 _ **Upper Levels**_

"Well, good thing _I_ live alone… crashing here for the night ain't gonna be too bad." Ritsudo flopped down onto one of the couches of the many booths through the main hall, his arms behind his head and his bag near his feet, though just as he was nearing dozing off, Hibiki walked over and gave a small wave.

"Hey!" Hibiki greeted, Ritsudo sitting up and raising a brow, the girl sitting down and bringing her knees to her chest.

"What's up? You've got this troubled look." Ritsudo murmured, sitting in a more proper fashion, Hibiki sighing.

"It's my friend, Miku… I'm sure she's mad I didn't tell her where I was going." Hibiki answered, letting out a dejected breath again, "I can't sleep like this."

"Well, we are sworn to secrecy." Ritsudo stated, Hibiki nodding and picking up the newspaper on the table, immediately yelping as her face got red, shutting it and looking away, "What?"

"N-Nothing it's just… something I think only guys would like…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo rolling his eyes and swiping the paper out of her hands and opening it himself, rolling his eyes to see the issue was a picture of a gravure model.

"This? Pff… it's just a gravure model pic, these are all over the place… besides, I've got different tastes that _aren't_ related to the chest region." Ritsudo stated, now casually reading through the other articles, to Hibiki's shocked face at his casual statement about such a thing, Ritsudo stopping at the back page, which had a picture of Tsubasa, "Kazanari Tsubasa, hospitalized for overwork. So _that's_ their cover up story."

"Controlling information _is_ one of my jobs." Shinji then appeared as if from nowhere, Ritsudo yelping as he did so, the white haired young man leaning on a hand, Hibiki looking a bit surprised as well.

"Geezus, we need to put a bell on you or something. You're too damn quiet." Ritsudo muttered, Shinji merely chuckling in response.

"Well, I'm here to say that Tsubasa-san is through the worst of it, and thankfully, Kyomei will actually get some proper sleep on top of it." Shinji stated, Hibiki giving a relieved sigh while Ritsudo gave a subtle "phew" as his response. "But, she will need to stay in one of the 2nd Division's medical facilities for a while."

"And what about Kyomei? Is he gonna be involved with this?" Ritsudo asked.

"Yes… I am."

Hibiki and Ritsudo turned the other way when Kyomei approached, giving a small wave.

"Kyomei-senpai!" Hibiki gasped, Ritsudo giving a hum.

"Hehe, hey… I got a call earlier in the day, and, well…"

* * *

 _ **Earlier/Medical Room**_

"Right… of course… I'll, uh… hold on a second Genjuuro, please?... Thank you." Kyomei gave a sigh as he put a hand over the receiver on his phone, Tsubasa gazing at him from the hospital bed.

"The commander?"

"Yeah." Kyomei stated, "There's, been orders. An order to move the Durandal out of the Abyss and then to Nagata. But I'm, well, not sure if I should go. I mean, they do have Hibiki and Ritsudo."

"Why shouldn't you go?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei looking to the side.

"B-Because… you're still hurt, and I don't think I should leave you alone while you're getting better." Kyomei admitted, Tsubasa both sighing and giving a light laugh, using the provided crutch to move over and take a seat next to Kyomei.

"I'm really glad you're concerned about me Kyomei… but a mission like that is a bit more important."

"Yeah, but…"

"I'm fine." Tsubasa answered, but not forcefully, instead in a reassuring, gentle manner almost unusual to hear, "I only need to rest for now, and then I'll be able to fight with the three of you again. But right now, moving the Durandal is more important than fretting over me."

"Haagh… you're right." Kyomei sighed, fiddling with the Ruyi Jingu Bang pendant in his pocket, "But… we have a lot to talk about when I get back, don't we?"

"Yes we do. Which is why you need to come back in one piece." Tsubasa answered, Kyomei nodding as he stood up, giving a light chuckle as he turned.

"Me _and_ our juniors. No doubt they've been working hard… but no worries, there's three of us, we've got this." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa nodding herself.

"Good. Then please… do just that."

* * *

 _ **Present**_

"Basic summation." Kyomei ended his short recalling, Ritsudo letting out a hum and Hibiki having a somewhat wider eyed look on her than before, then outright gaining an expreesion to match the "dawww" that left her mouth, much to Kyomei's embarrassment.

"That's so sweet!" Hibiki giggled, outright bouncing in her seat, Ritsudo only rolling his eyes, Shinji giving a chuckle of his own.

"Good to have you on board. And thank you, for staying with Tsubasa." Shinji added, Kyomei letting out an embarrassed chuckle, "I just noticed… you seem to be standing a bit taller than before."

"Huh?"

"He means you've got a backbone again." Ritsudo stated, standing up and clapping his senior on the back, an amused grin on his face, Shinji shrugging to confirm that was more or less his intent.

"Oh? Ehe… I uh, don't really get most things like that… and, when you say back bone you mean…"

"Yes, I mean you're standing up for yourself." Ritsudo phrased, Kyomei still giving a confused head tilt, Ritsudo taking a deep breath to curb that bubbling annoyance that came with dealing with Kyomei's all too literal mind, "How do I phrase this in a way that makes sense to you?"

"What Ritsu is saying is that you're being confident! You've got this air around you that shows you're really confident in yourself right now!" Hibiki interjected, Ritsudo giving a breath.

"What she said."

"O-Oh? R-Really? I didn't… notice." Kyomei muttered, scratching the back of his head, Shinji giving a small laugh.

"Well, that shows my point interestingly enough." Shinji hummed, the three gear users turning to him, "I'll say it now: Whatever you do, lots of people are behind you, helping in all sorts of ways. So, I think you all can afford to relax a little."

"We _do_ need to get some rest… but, I'm still feeling suspicious about this whole thing." Ritsudo murmured, then just giving a shrug, "I'll just sleep on it."

"I admit, some of this is kinda suspicious, but, all we can do is the best job we can." Kyomei added, Ritsudo and Hibiki nodding along, Hibiki then making a small fist pump.

"All right, I feel better now too! And then for now, let's do the best we can to rest!" Hibiki declared, picking up her bag, Ritsudo letting out a small snicker of amusement as she then trotted off.

"Well, she can certainly get back in order pretty quick." Ritsudo hummed, Kyomei looking him over with a keen eye, "What?"

"Something's different about you…" Kyomei murmured, "Like… uhm, how do I put it?"

"Hehe… well, I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days. But, you've got nothin' to worry about Kyomei. This sword of mine ain't dulling yet… if anything, I'm going into this fight better than before. No idea if I can beat that spear guy, but, might as well try." Ritsudo responded, twirling his pendant on his hand before catching it, looking straight at Kyomei, "So let's go out there and get this done… even if it's kinda suspicious."

"Hehe… sure. I've got your guys' backs out there." Kyomei answered, he and Ritsudo clapping a hand together each.

"Good. Then let's get out there and do this!" Ritsudo responded, a more cheery smirk on his face than ever there was before, Kyomei nodding along to it.

* * *

 _ **Early Morning/Front of Lydian**_

The set up: Four black cars and one smaller, more discreet white vehicle, the four black cars being manned by the typical men in black, Ryouko and Hibiki planned to take the white car and watch Durandal, whist Ritsudo and Kyomei would be riding in the chopper with Genjuuro.

"We've set checkpoints under the pretense of looking for the defense minister's assassins." Genjuuro finished off the reading, everyone lined up before him and Ryouko, "We're heading straight for the Memory Ruins!"

"I call it "Plan: Keep the Road to Yourself"!" Ryouko added, Ritsudo sighing, the groups then splitting off, things silent along the highway, except for the buzz of the chopper's rotors in the air, Kyomei occasionally peering out to look at the cars below with Genjuuro, the convoy currently at the highway and nearing the city, it being almost mid-day, and things were still quiet.

Though _that_ didn't last for long, the three in the chopper gasping when a portion of the highway cracked and gave out, one of the black cars going over and slamming into the wall of the gap, dropping into the water like a brick.

"Ho-ly shit! The hell?!" Ritsudo yelped, Kyomei wide eyed, Genjuuro getting on the comm line.

"We're under attack! We don't have any visual, but it has to be the Noise!" Genjuuro snapped, Kyomei and Ritsudo looking at each other, that glance confirming for both that they were thinking the exact same thing, the two yelping when the next car to go got launched up from a sewer plate, "The sewers, the Noise are attacking from the sewers!"

"Well ain't _that_ awfully coordinated for a bunch of dumb Noise?" Ritsudo quipped.

"Of course, they're being controlled!" Kyomei answered, Ritsudo giving him a flat look, but otherwise letting it pass as the next car went up, "That's not good…"

"Not shit Sherlock." Ritsudo muttered.

" _Genjuuro-kun, aren't things getting a little bad?"_ Ryouko's voice came over from the radio, Ritsudo and Kyomei tuning in, _"If there's an explosion at the factory up ahead, Durandal will…"_

"I know!" Genjuuro replied, Ritsudo and Kyomei moving to the other side of the chopper to look over the nearby factory. "The reason that the Noise are only attacking our cars, is to avoid damaging Durandal! If they're after Durandal, out best move is to go somewhere dangerous, and limit their options!"

"Hey Boss! Drop us off at the factory! We can meet up with Ryouko and Hibiki there!" Ritsudo shouted, leaning into the cockpit, Genjuuro nodding as Kyomei peered in as well.

"Already on it!" The pilot replied.

" _What are the odds?"_ Ryouko asked.

"I'm making this up as I go! I have no idea!" Genjuuro answered, Ritsudo nearly faulting as Kyomei sighed, "Ritsudo, Kyomei, get ready! Once we're over the factory, get ready to join up with Ryouko and Hibiki!"

"Roger that!" Kyomei nodded, he and Ritsudo standing at the edge of the chopper and waiting until they were over the factory as Ryouko's car, the last one remaining, careened into the factory, the two boys giving a nod before they grabbed their pendants and jumped from the chopper.

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

" _Fugite Verum Vijaya zillz!"_

Kyomei struck first as he immediately pulled out his bow and fired, arrows raining down on the swarm of Noise as Ryouko and Hibiki crawled out of the flipped car, Ritsudo landing next and slashing aside the ones that tried to attack.

"Thanks Ritsu!" Hibiki spoke up, pulling the case with Durandal out of the car, "Ryouko-san, this is heavy!"

"Then let's leave it and run!" Ryouko joked, Ritsudo shooting an unamused glare her way.

"Not the time to be joking around!" Ritsudo snapped, smirking as he looked up and found _exactly_ who he'd been expecting too: Chris and Scortura, the two looking down at the others from a higher point. "You two go! Kyomei and I will hold off the Noise and follow!"

"And we can hold off the Nehushtan girl and the black one too!" Kyomei stated, skidding back and firing his bow again, then splitting the weapon into two blades, flipping both around into proper grips as he slashed.

"Huh, I didn't know you could do that!" Ritsudo chuckled, slashing through Noise that dove at them, Kyomei chuckling.

"Always have been, just never used it much. And I see your Gear's changed a bit! Neat little scarf bit… and is the visor imitating a beak or something?" Kyomei hummed, Ritsudo glancing at both mentioned items, not to mention, the slightly more streamlined look his armor had now.

"Huh… this is the first time I've used it since fixing my shit… guess it changed in accordance!" Ritsudo added, Kyomei humming as his blades switched to his handguns and he started shooting at the swarm.

"Neat… so, mind if I take the lead?" Kyomei asked, Ritsudo chuckling as one could see wind flickering around his sword.

"Go right ahead!" Ritsudo replied, Kyomei nodding, taking a breath as the song began ringing from his Symphogear.

 _ **Fate is nothing more than an excuse,  
And if you imagine hard enough it becomes the truth…**_

 _ **So the second you sense the gap between ideals and reality,  
Everything is stripped away!**_

As the swarm continued to be cut down, Scortura drew out his spear and leapt from his perch, Ritsudo quickly intercepting the blow and parrying the spear, Scortura skidding back as Ritsudo took a stance and shot forward, the two locking weapons within seconds, Kyomei cutting through the rest of the noise and striking himself with the blades, Scortura blocking both weapons with his spear and deflecting both Kyomei and Ritsudo back, taking that stance that irked Kyomei.

"Well, this guy is still gonna be trouble… but, that much was expected!" Ritsudo murmured, Kyomei nodding, his eyes stuck on Scortura to watch how the masked Tuner would move.

"Hmph… so the wayward sword user returns to the battlefield… then lets test that resolve!" Scortura declared, charging in, the clashing weapons letting out a ring as they collided again.

 _ **The decision to pull the trigger,  
That will open up your possibilities: It's on you… it's all up to you!  
Break through your limit and go beyond  
Now keep your stride with an unyielding soul  
Drive yourself, if you're gonna fight  
What is there to wait for?**_

Kyomei was keeping an very keen eye on the spear users movements and he and Ritsudo dove in and out of fighting their enemy, and as he kept the eye on how his enemy moved, more and more things began clicking in his brain as he deflected blows and retaliated, feeling his body begin moving on it's own from a strange sense of familiarity with things.

"Geez, just who… is this guy?!" Ritsudo snapped, deflecting the spear again, panting a bit, Kyomei narrowing his eyes a bit as Scortura twirled the spear.

" _I have an… odd idea about that."_ Kyomei thought, nothing their foe didn't even look close to starting to tire out.

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

"About time Hibiki!" Ritsudo shouted, Kyomei looking back as a new ring followed, Hibiki shooting into the fight with a punch through the Noise, stumbling a bit and then breaking off the heels of her armor, Kyomei's eyes widening in a bit of surprise as the girl began showing her new martial arts prowess, "We weren't just sitting on our tails these past few days either!"

"Don't lose focus!" Scortura shot forward, Kyomei about to shout, but then spotting how Ritsudo's sword shot around, catching the tip of the spear on the bottom of the hilt, their enemy moving back, "Irregular guarding? So you have some actual skill now."

"Yeah, and I built it up so I could actually fight against the Noise and guys like you." Ritsudo responded, blocking Scortura's strike again, smirking, "Heh, damn you're greedy!"

"How's Hibiki doing?" Kyomei murmured, glancing away from the renewed melee, Hibiki doing just fine against the Noise, Scortura looking up at Chris.

"Stop standing there." Scortura called out, Chris clicking her tongue.

"Yeah yeah, shut it!" Chris shouted, jumping from her perch and landing a kick on HIbiki, and when the girl hit the ground, attention turned to the case as the Durandal then flew right out it, hovering in the air and soon gaining a red glow, Ryouko, who's hair had fallen loose some time earlier, unnoticed by Ritsudo and Kyomei, gawked in awe.

"Awakening? Activation?" Ryouko murmured, Chris smirking as she looked at the hovering blade.

"So this is Durandal!" Chris mused, jumping to go and grab the sword… only to be intercepted by Hibiki slamming her with a shoulder blow.

"You can't have it!" Hibiki shouted, her hand wrapping around the hilt of the weapon, Ritsudo and Kyomei flinching when they felt a pulse hit them, Scortura moving back as Hibiki landed, the girl gripping the Relic with both hands, twitching and letting out barely heard growls as the blade grew brighter and glowed gold, a pulse of light then shooting into the sky as another pulse shot out, the Tuners hitting the ground as it hit, canceling out their own songs but leaving their gears active, Ritsudo notably flinching himself as red flickered around his eyes.

"The hell is going on?!" Ritsudo grumbled, he and Kyomei looking to Hibiki, who now bore that shadowed, red eyed look Ritsudo saw before, the Durandal then extending into a longer, gold colored blade with an entirely new guard, Hibiki letting out an echoing roar.

"What the hell did she do?!" Chris snapped, Scortura approaching.

"Obviously, the girl was able to activate it… hmph, no wonder Lady Finé is so curious about her." Scortura stated, Chris letting out a small growl, glancing back at Ryouko, who looked to be in sheer _awe_ at the moment.

"Don't show off your power!" Chris snapped, whipping out the staff and summoning a new bunch of Noise. Hibiki responded by turning around, a low, feral growl sounding as she turned, escalating as she brought the sword down, Scortura grabbing Chris and shooting out of the way of the descending beam of light, Ritsudo and Kyomei managing to get clear as well as the beam then came down an tore through part of the factory, the place then blowing sky high.

And, protected under a mysterious barrier was the now unconscious trio of Symphogear users, and the one using that barrier was Ryouko, looking at Hibiki with a smile.

When the three came back to consciousness, the first awake was Kyomei, who snapped upright and looked around, his eyes wide at the devastation around them as Ritsudo and Hibiki followed suit in awaking, Hibiki still holding Durandal in her right hand.

"Shit… what happened again? I think I hit my head on something…" Ritsudo muttered, the three gear users then spotting Ryouko looking over the recovery groups, pinning her hair back up.

"That was Durandal. A complete Relic activated by your voice, Hibiki." Ryouko stated.

"U-Um… I… What about your…" Hibiki murmured, Ryouko giving a hum.

"Does it matter? We all survived." Ryouko's tone was as cheery as ever, but Ritsudo bore an unsure, outright suspicious look on him, his eyes moving to the Durandal, a throbbing feeling as if it would split his skull.

" _The hell? No… I'm not the only one who's suspicious… Kusanagi… you feel uneasy too, don't you?"_ Ritsudo thought, palming the sword pendant, Ryouko walking off as she answered her phone, Kyomei standing up, a bit shaky for a moment, then looking down at his juniors and back to Ryouko, his own expression unsure as well.

" _Ryouko is acting a bit… odd, I think? More than usual? But… more so, what's really got me unnerved is how that masked guy fought… the way he moved and struck, even if it was a spear, I know those moves anywhere. He was fighting exactly like Koto did…"_ Kyomei thought, his hand sliding into his pocket and grabbing the pendant again, a groan leaving his throat as confusion raced through his mind, _"What the hell is going on here?"_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Many things Kyomei, many things. And the song used this chapter by Kyomei was BREAK IT! by Mamoru Miyano! Time for some downtime and… some more feels heavy stuff… but of the nice kind. Hehehe.**


	7. Stanza VII

_**Stanza VII: Clamoroso Ritorno**_

 _ **Mysterious Mansion**_

A rattling breath shuddered under Scortura's mask as the Tuner readjusted the item, a bitter hiss escaping from the armored figure's mouth as he flexed the fingers on a hand, his armor letting out soft noises as it moved.

"He's beginning to resist more… why? This body has been nothing but a despair filled shell for two years… why is there suddenly resistance?" The masked Tuner muttered, again adjusting the mask and letting out a long breath, "It doesn't matter… pacifying him is no issue."

"I do hope so. It'd be a shame if the shell regained it's will."

Scortura glanced to the side, Finé having appeared as if from nowhere, a black garb covering her as she looked Scortura over, the woman's golden eyes drawing in the relaxing stiffness of his form.

"As long as that "dream" persists, there should be no issues." Scortura stated, then noting the presence of the staff in Finé's hand. "The Staff of Solomon?"

"Ah yes… Chris handed it back to me. In fact, I would like if you… kept an eye on her." Finé stated, placing a hand along the lip of the mask, drawing a thumb across where the Tuner's mouth would be, "I believe she may do something reckless and go against my plans."

"Her use was beginning to wear thin." Scortura noted.

"Indeed. Well, when her use has finally run out, I'll reclaim the Nehushtan for myself, and her… well, it'll either be the Noise or you who deal with her." Finé hummed, the masked individual simply giving a nod.

"Then I'll be sure to make it happen."

* * *

 _ **2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Division Medical Center**_

"The way that guy was fighting… why was he fighting like Koto?" Kyomei had a hand on his chin as he walked along the hallway of the medical center, his thoughts whirling from the previous fight and the result, but almost solely focused on what he'd seen when fighting the masked Tuner, "There's just so many questions to all of this now…"

Kyomei let out a short sigh as he pocketed a hand, the other behind his head, though the sound of shuddering aluminum and the clack of a crutch caught his attention, and another, far longer sigh escaped the young man's lips as he saw Tsubasa trudging along the hall way.

"Tsubasa! What are you doing up right now?!" Kyomei's tone was a deadpan sort of exasperated, Tsubasa stopping dead, "You _just_ got out of the ICU."

"I know but…"

"Upup! You told me you just needed to rest, so you're gonna do just that." Kyomei interjected, Tsubasa yelping when he grabbed her free hand (less free, more like the one on the IV stand) and nearly _dragged her_ back to the medical room, at which Kyomei froze upon seeing the utter _mess_ the room was in, enough that someone could think the room had been ransacked from just how many things, from clothes to just random objects, were scattered around. "Huh?"

"Well… uh…" Tsubasa murmured, looking to the side with a slight show of embarrassment as a low sound escaped Kyomei's throat, his right eye twitching, then another long sigh escaping him.

"I was gone for a day… Tsubasa, we've known each other since we were kids, right? So uh… why is it your room always ends up _this_ messy?!" Kyomei inquired, Tsubasa looking at the floor to hide a rising blush, Kyomei sighing and rolling up his sleeves, "Whatever… I'll have this tidy in a minute."

And a few minutes of rigorous cleaning later, Kyomei brushed off his hands and gave a satisfied nod as he stored the last of the blankets, Tsubasa sitting on the bed, looking at Kyomei as he pulled his headphones down.

"Jeez… forget it. You always do this." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei folding his arms.

"I do always do this. Heck I'm the only reason your dorm room is clean half the time." Kyomei flatly stated, Tsubasa sighing in defeat at the acknowledgment of her habits, "But… that's beside the point of why I'm here."

"Huh?" Tsubasa hummed, noting the bothered expression Kyomei had as he pulled his sleeves down, "What is it?"

"You remember that masked Tuner we fought before?" Kyomei asked, getting a nod in response as he sat down, "Well… he showed up again the other day, when we tried to move Durandal, and… he… he fights exactly like Koto."

"What?!" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei nodding as a long breath escaped him.

"I know _something_ isn't right, but that is not Koto. He'd never betray us… something else is going on here." Kyomei grumbled, Tsubasa then gaining an uneasy look of her own, "There's something more going on that we just don't know. Though I don't know how to figure it out."

"Then take that mask off." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei glancing at her, "Next time you run into that masked man, try to take that mask off and see who's face is under there… I'm not sure if it could even be him, as far as I thought, after two years he might have… well, I admit, I thought Kotone was dead."

"Koto. You know he hates his real name." Kyomei corrected, Tsubasa flinching for a moment, "But… I've spent the last two years carrying his Relic with me… so, take off that mask and see if it's really him huh? Heh… well, if that's the best answer we can get, I guess I'll just have to try. If it _is_ Koto, then I'll find out what's going on… and if it comes to it, we'll just have to beat some sense into him and bring him home, right?"

"We?"

"Heh… well, I don't think I can beat that guy on my own." Kyomei stated, pulling out the pendant in his pocket, Tsubasa staring at the item as Kyomei dangled it on his fingers, "Whoever he is, even if he fights like Koto, it's not him, that much I can tell. So trying to beat that guy on my own… I don't think I can do that."

"Well… you don't have to do it alone." Tsubasa answered, "Once I've recovered completely, we can take him on together. Tachibana and Narukami may be effective, but they can't synchronize their Gears, and it holds them back… but you and I, we can… and that would probably be enough."

"Huh… maybe… though we haven't done _that_ in two years." Kyomei hummed, fiddling with a bit of his hair as he then laid down, his eyes stuck on the ceiling, "Could we even still manage it?"

"Of course we could… though, I wonder what kind of song it would be." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei sitting up again, "And… well… things between us as well."

"Yeah… uhm, Tsubasa…" Kyomei murmured, biting his lip, "Uhhh… pffff… geez, how do I say this?"

"I uh… I have something to say too." Tsubasa added, Kyomei letting out a sigh as he thought his own statement.

"Then uh… why don't we… say what we wanna say at the same time?" Kyomei suggested, Tsubasa giving a nod, the two taking in breaths before they spoke.

"I love you!"

The two teens then froze in surprise as the same phrase came out of their mouths, blushes rising between the two of them as embarrassment slowly hit as well, Kyomei's face so red it was impossible to not see in contrast to his dark blue hair.

"Uhhh…" Kyomei broke the silence with a low sound coming from his throat, Tsubasa still silent in surprise, the two then looking to the side, awkwardly shuffling about, "That was… unexpected… but uhm…"

"True but… maybe…" Tsubasa then let out a sigh, turning to Kyomei as he glanced at her, "I… I need to apologize first and foremost."

"Apologize? For what?" Kyomei asked, looking more directly at Tsubasa as she looked out the window for a moment.

"For pushing you, for pushing everyone, away." Tsubasa answered, "I thought that… if I shut others out, if I only thought of myself as a sword, a weapon to defeat the Noise, maybe I would be able to move past it, forget the pain. But then… Tachibana appeared with the Gungnir and _everything_ came back all at once. So… I'm sorry, for being so cold to you for so long."

"I… I should apologize to." Kyomei murmured, a sad smile on his face, "For not being able to help. I just… I'm not good with people, things that anyone else may find normal, like reading hints from their expressions or body language, I just, I don't get them. But, I wanted to help… I just couldn't because I didn't know _how…_ and I had no idea how much Kanade's death had hurt you either. So… I'm sorry too."

Another silence followed between the two for a few moments, Kyomei then letting out a breath.

"This is actually a good idea, getting out anything that's bothering us." Kyomei hummed, Tsubasa glancing at him as he crossed his legs and leaned on his heels, "Yeah… it works, we should probably keep it up a bit."

"And just… get anything else off of our chest?" Tsubasa inquired, Kyomei nodding, Tsubasa taking another breath, "All right then…"

For the next while, the two blue haired teens sat there in each other's company, talking about every little problem or grievance they felt a need to get off of once another's chest, eventually moving from problems to just chatting away.

"Hehehe… well, this ended a lot better than I thought." Kyomei chuckled and leaned back on the bed, Tsubasa nodding as she leaned back on the upper segment of it.

"Talking like this is actually kind of nice." Tsubasa admitted, moving and then leaning on Kyomei's shoulder, the teen flinching in surprise, though the rigidness didn't last long, Kyomei glancing down at Tsubasa as she stared out of the window, another short silence following as Tsubasa looked up at him, the two stuck as their eyes met in such close proximity to each other.

It was then a moment that seemed slower than others as that tiny distance began closing, the two flinching when their lips just barely brushed, a soft press forward from Tsubasa closing whatever tiny gap remained, the sensation of the kiss a surprise to the two for a fist experience, almost like the world was slowing down.

And then they heard the door slide open.

"Hello!"

Kyomei and Tsubasa broke the lip lock and shot around with their faces turning beet red and their eyes wide, coming face to face with a confused looking Hibiki holding a bundle of flowers, the blonde girl looking between her two now _very_ embarrassed seniors, realization slowly dawning on the girl as she looked between the two.

"O-Ohhhhh! I-I'm sorry! I interrupted something, didn't I?!" Hibiki hurriedly bowed her head in apology, Kyomei's face getting far, _far_ redder than before, steam practically coming off of his face, Tsubasa sighing.

"Yes, you did." Tsubasa murmured, "Kyomei-kun and I were… talking. But… if you're here, then were's Narukami?"

"Ritsu? Oh he's still here at school, we were training on the track with a friend of mine actually!" Hibiki replied, Tsubasa raising a brow as a quick tap on Kyomei's shoulder brought him down from the shocked state he was in.

"Training?" Tsubasa inquired, Hibiki nodded.

"Yeah, we were doing a run on the track and, well…" Hibiki added, a slight chuckle coming from her.

* * *

 _ **Earlier**_

"One, two, one, two, one, two! Come on Hibiki, this isn't that hard!"

"Haaa… haaa… I _know!_ But you being on top of the tire just makes it heavier!"

"That's the point."

Hibiki let out a long sigh as she kept up the jog along the track, a rope tied around her waist and to a tire trailing behind her, a tire of which Ritsudo was sitting on without much of a care, a flat, seemingly disappointed expression on his face as his track jersey billowed behind him.

And running beside the two, staring at the back of Ritsudo's head with a narrowed, unsure gaze, was a dark haired, dark eyed girl with a bow in her hair, who overall rather looked none too pleased about Ritsudo's presence from the air about her.

" _Loose shorts? You'd_ think _Hibiki would've gone with something like spats to train in since her Gear_ kinda sorta _has something like that… seriously those under suits hug the body."_ Ritsudo thought, a small noise escaping his mouth, then glancing over when he finally took notice of Hibiki's friend trying to bore holes into the back of his skull.

"You've been starin' at the back of my head like you're trying to drill holes into it for a while now. Something up here?" Ritsudo spoke up, the dark-haired girl picking up pace to come side to side with the boy sitting on the tire.

"I'm just not sure if I can trust you is all." The girl stated, HIbiki giving a sigh.

"Miku, I already told you! Ritsu is a friend of mine, you can trust him, don't worry about it." Hibiki spoke up, Miku giving a sigh.

"Well I still don't get why he's gotta sit _on_ the tire."

"Because it adds more weight and thus makes the run a bit harder." Ritsudo piped up, then shoving his foot onto the ground to slow the tire as Hibiki slowed to a halt, the girl leaning on her knees as she panted, Ritsudo pulling out a stop watch and clicking it, "Okay yeah, a break sounds like a good idea."

"Thank goodness!" Hibiki sighed, undoing the rope around her waist and sitting down on the cool grass, "Ahhh, so nice. Sensei was right, running with a tire _does_ help!"

"Of course." Ritsudo quipped, looking at Miku as she kept looking him down, "I feel like you're trying to gauge something about me… really you don't have to be suspicious about me."

"It's just weird to me that Hibiki has mentioned you before but until today I've never seen you. And it's not because you're on the boy's side." Miku stated, Ritsudo putting a hand behind his head.

"Well… uh…" Ritsudo murmured, Hibiki then sitting up.

"Well, we met because we're practicing under the same person! And uh… well, we also work together when I get called up, so we help each other out a lot too!" Hibiki answered, Miku gaining this look.

"So you and him… work together, whenever you go off to do something?" Miku's tone was one clearly suspicious of the statement, Hibiki nodding, Ritsudo sighing as he caught on to how easily that could be misinterpreted by somebody. "And just what do you mean by "work together" anyway?"

" _Shit."_ Ritsudo thought, he and Hibiki having the same brief "oh crap" look on their faces. That answer would _not_ be an easy one since Symphogears and the actions of their users were of utmost secrecy. There was a reason a civilian who saw a Symphogear user in combat was then sworn to secrecy by the government and kept under surveillance from then on.

Hibiki for one seemed to be mulling over it too hard, so Ritsudo cleared his throat, leaning back on the now propped up tire.

"It's a… job of sorts. We work for our trainer and his employees, and sometimes it means we have to head out of class early or on a moment's notice… it's a bit demanding from time to time." Ritsudo answered, but the look on Miku's face didn't shift at all, only shifting attention from Hibiki to the white haired boy.

"And what _kind_ of job would be so demanding of two high school students?" Miku inquired, Ritsudo's eyes gaining an almost comedic sort of blankness to them.

" _You're kidding me! Most people would just stop asking questions after that!"_ Ritsudo's eyes widened in surprise that Miku was aiming to dig deeper into this, and how to avoid digging the hole deeper himself and trip up.

"That's all there is too it! It's not like we're doing anything too hard! Besides, Ritsu has been working at this way longer than I have, so he's taught me the ropes!" Hibiki stated, Ritsudo then humming, finally seeming to recall the facts he was older than Hibiki _and_ her upperclassman.

" _Wait a minute so why the heck did she never call me senpai like the proper rule is?"_ Ritsudo thought, then realizing he was slipping in his priorities at the moment, shaking his head, "Uhm, yeah! Something like that!... seriously why did I never hear that?" The last part being spoken under Ritsudo's breath, Hibiki nodding along to the statement.

"That and training together is all." Hibiki added, Miku not seeming appeased with that answer, "What? Is something wrong?"

"I just can't help but find that explanation a bit suspicious. It sounds like you're hiding something." Miku's spoke with a particular tone of "irked" to her, Hibiki letting out a noise.

"What? Come on, why would I hide anything from you? We're best friends aren't we?" Hibiki spoke, Ritsudo giving a sigh as he leaned back on the tire, rocking back and forth as one hand fiddled with his pendant just under his shirt.

" _That's the life we live… we have to hide things from others to keep them safe. It sucks… but that's the way things work some times."_ Ritsudo let out a sigh, kicking down the tire and looking up, _"But, it's the life I've chosen to live. So I damn will do so!"_

* * *

 _ **Present**_

"Where did he go then? Haagh… either he's on a roof somewhere or he's…" Kyomei's words trailed off as he looked out of the window of the medical area, his eyes going a bit wide to see that Ritsudo was down in school field, swinging around a practice sword in what Kyomei was able to identify as different styles of eastern sword play, the bluenette showing to actually be caught off guard, "He's still practicing?"

Kyomei rather quickly made his way down to the field, stopping at the edge of the field as Ritsudo finished up the routine he was going through, the young man wiping some sweat off his brow with his jersey's sleeve, also pulling down his headphones as he set the practice sword down.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you _not_ taking a nap on a day like this." Kyomei piped up, Ritsudo glancing over at him, letting out a sigh.

"I can't afford to slow down now… I need to master Kusanagi and get stronger as fast as I can. I don't want to lose to that masked guy again, and I want to figure out why the Nehushtan girl is fighting… hell, I wanna know what's going through both their heads. What's their "purpose" behind this?" Ritsudo murmured, pulling out his pendant and forming it into the sword alone, Kyomei blinking at the sight of it as Ritsudo spun the weapon and pointed it forward. "And if it turns out they're really the bad guys… well, I'll do what the good guy does and beat them."

"Are you sure? I mean… I understand having to fight and hurt people, but do we really have to be enemies with them?" Kyomei asked, Ritsudo sighing as he reverted the sword.

"Maybe, maybe not." Ritsudo replied, "All I know is there if there's an enemy in front of me, I'll fight them. And if they won't listen to me during the fight, then I'll kick their ass and force them to listen!"

" _Does Ritsudo watch Nanoha by any chance?"_ Kyomei thought, Ritsudo having clenched a fist, but, the senior fighter gave a light chuckle in response to his junior's newfound enthusiasm… and then they heard Ritsudo's communicator go off.

"Yo!" Ritsudo answered, blinking as he got the relay, then smirking, "Hehehe. Alright, I'm on it!"

"What was that about?" Kyomei asked, Ritsudo snickering as he picked up the practice sword.

"The Nehushtan girl just decided to show up." Ritsudo stated, letting out a breath, looking at the sword pendant as he pulled it out, "I guess it's time then… for me to _really_ start from zero! Just watch, senpai, I'm gonna master this sword yet, and I'm gonna do it today!"

"Well then, good luck to you." Kyomei nodded, Ritsudo chuckling before skipping around and running off, Kyomei then freezing, "Wait… he just called me senpai… EH?!"

* * *

"So, where is she gonna show up huh?" Ritsudo let out a hum as he ran down the path, soon catching up to Hibiki, who had been ahead of him, "Hey! Hibiki!"

"Ritsu! Huh, why are you still in your practice clothes?" Hibiki looked Ritsudo over as he caught up, the boy chuckling as he slowed a bit to match her.

"I was still getting some practice in after you left." Ritsudo stated.

"Hibiki!"

Ritsudo and Hibiki screeched to a halt when they saw Miku just opposite them on the path, both yelping in surprise when they saw the dark haired girl, who's expression changed when she saw Ritsudo beside Hibiki.

"Ah well shit, this isn't good." Ritsudo grumbled, then looking to the side, his eyes widening when he saw Chris shoot out of the trees and above them.

"You!" Chris roared, pulling back one of the whips and throwing it, Ritsudo shooting forward and blocking it with Kusanagi after drawing the sword, Miku gasping as she fell back, Hibiki sighing in relief.

"What?" Miku gasped, staring at the white katana in Ritsudo's hand as he lowered it.

"Geez, this is gonna be bothersome to explain." Ritsudo sighed, glancing at Miku, "So, can I consider this an explanation? But first, you need to go, it's dangerous here!"

"Tch, someone else was there?!" Chris grumbled, Ritsudo letting out a sigh as he hopped over the railings, Chris readying for another attack as he gripped the sword in his hands.

"Hey, Kusanagi, you're called the god slayer right?" Ritsudo murmured, looking at the white katana, "Then why don't you prove it to me by letting me use that power to beat this chick into the dirt!" Ritsudo's response was to see black flickering across the blade of the sword, a small smirk coming from him as he reverted the blade to a pendant and held it high in his own response, "Then let's go! Hibiki, I'm taking the lead!"

"R-Right!"

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

The usual flash followed as the Symphogears were deployed, Miku's expression in shock as she stared at Hibiki, the blonde girl looking away from her friend.

"Hibiki?" Miku murmured, Hibiki letting out a breath.

"I'm sorry." Hibiki murmured, following Ritsudo as they moved into the woods, the boy's lips already beginning to move as a new song began ringing from his Symphogear.

 _ **I was yelling with sensuous impulse!  
I got the feeling you were gonna go somewhere far away…  
"I want to see you!"**_

"Hah! Slow kids like you two can't provoke me!" Chris scoffed, a smirk on her face as she chased after the two, Ritsudo deliberately moving away safer area, he and Hibiki stopping and turning to Chris once they'd reached a clearing, Ritsudo blocking Chris' whip as it came at him, black energy flickering across Kusanagi's edge as he swatted the whip aside, Hibiki blocking the second of them. "Huh, not bad slow kid!"

"My name's not slow kid!" Hibiki shouted, Ritsudo ceasing the impulsive singing even as the tune continued, "My name is Tachibana Hibiki, age fifteen! My birthday is September 13th, and my blood type is O! I just had my height measured, and it was 157 cm! My weight is… I'll tell you when we're better friends!"

"What?" Ritsudo flatly muttered, Hibiki continuing on.

"My hobby is saving people, and my favorite things are food and food!"

"You said food twice!" Ritsudo snapped.

"And…" Hibiki took a glance at Ritsudo, who only raised a brow as she then looked forward again, "I've never had a boyfriend!"

"Why did she look at me?" Ritsudo murmured, putting a hand near his head out of confusion as a sigh escaped his lips.

"W-Why are you telling me all of this?" Chris muttered, Hibiki stepping forward and spreading out her arms.

"We aren't like Noise! We can understand each other, so I want to talk!" Hibiki affirmed, blinking when Ritsudo stepped past and in front of her again.

"It's not gonna be _that_ easy, Hibiki." Ritsudo stated, Chris snickering.

"Of course not! Not after all of this!" Chris snapped, lashing out with her whips, then showing shock when Hibiki and Ritsudo dodged the attacks, almost _too_ easily on top of it, _"Something's changed… resolve? Determination? What?!"_

"Let's talk! We can't fight each other!" Hibiki yelled, Ritsudo sighing, "Because if we talk to each other, people can-"

"SHUT UP!" Chris interjected, an angry glare showing beneath her visor, "People can't understand each other! That isn't how we're made! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! You keep talking, but you don't understand a thing!"

"Oh really now?!" Ritsudo shouted, Chris gasping when he shot forward, but next she knew when she attacked, he'd seemingly vanished, the next thing she saw being his sword coming from behind and over her shoulder, the edge aimed at her neck, "Maybe you shoulder consider listening… And if not, I'll just beat the crap of you until you shut up and do so anyway!"

Chris let out a growl and blocked when Ritsudo swung, sparks shooting from their weapons as they collided, Ritsudo's own visor shutting as he took a stance while Chris skid back, the black energy continuing to flicker around her sword.

" _Come on Kusanagi, you're still holding back… that's not gonna help either of us against a complete Relic… so please, show me what you've got!"_ Ritsudo smirked as the black energy stopped flickering and instead burst across the blade and enveloped it, forming a secondary layer entirely, Chris' eyes widening as Ritsudo leveled the blade at her, Hibiki staring at the impending fight.

"Ritsu, don't! You don't have to…"

"Hibiki, we can't lose hear! I'll make this girl listen if I have to, but right now, fighting is the only choice!" Ritsudo yelled, Chris smirking.

"Damn right! So why don't you eat this ya' bastard!" Chris yelled, reeling back on whip with a ball of black and white energy on it. "Explode!"

- _NIRUANA GEDON-_

"Ritsu!" Hibiki shouted as the attack was lobbed at Ritsudo, who raised his blade to block, Chris sending out another one to make the explosion bigger, Hibiki's eyes widening for a moment and getting ready to fight, stopping when she heard a light chuckle.

"Do you seriously think _that_ was enough?" Ritsudo shouted, swiping aside the dust with a quick swing of his sword.

 _ **I could have said it in a parallel world…  
If wouldn't have feared a thing if it had been within a dream!**_

Ritsudo shot forward and brought his sword down, Chris blocking the strikes or dodging in return, but Ritsudo was starting to get hits in as his eyes darted around as the girl moved, Chris letting out a growl as she locked her whip with Ritsudo's sword, the two weapons sparking off of one another as the air swirled around the blade.

 _ **Back then when I was running away from reality,  
I was walking on and on through days of regret!**_

"Ritsu is using his Relic so easily now… ggh, if only I could use my Armed Gear!" Hibiki let out a small groan as she watched the proceeding fight, Ritsudo beginning to get the upper hand as Chris showed to be getting angrier, gashes across her armor, Hibiki bringing her hands close together, a ball of light forming, only for the girl to be blown back, interrupting the clash of weapons.

"Hibiki?! The heck just happened?!" Ritsudo shouted, clicking his tongue as he ducked another swipe, skidding back towards Hibiki, who stood up again, rubbing a shoulder.

"Trying to get my Armed Gear to work! But I can't stabilize my Gear's energy like you, Tsubasa-san, and Kyomei-san can." Hibiki muttered, a small ball of light in one hand, "But, I _do_ have the energy! So if I can't stabilize it with my Armed Gear, I'll just hit with it!"

"Hehe, well, that's one way to go about it!" Ritsudo chuckled as one of Hibiki's gauntlet's locked up, steam coming from it as yellow light pulsed around her fist for a moment, Ritsudo batting aside Chris' whips when she launched them again, the air whipping upwards as if following the slash itself, his visor pulling back as he took a ready stance again while Hibiki pulled a fist back, Chris flinching.

 _ **I want to see you! I want to see you!  
I was calling your name, unable to make it through!  
We'll never be able to go back to that day…**_

 _ **Someday I'll fall in love again, with someone else – following a different path in a parallel story!  
Sending this daybreak LoveSong to you, I sang to the morning sun rising in the sky:  
I want to change! I want to change! Wishing strongly… I turn to face tomorrow!**_

Hibiki jumped up and grabbed the whips, hitting the ground and yanking them back to send Chris flying towards them, the girl flinching as Hibiki shot forward, flames bursting from the rear part of her Symphogear like thrusters, her fist ramming into Chris' gut, the pulled back segment shooting forward like a pile bunker, delivering just as much force to it, Chris being sent flying back, though she wasn't let up just yet as Ritsudo appeared behind her.

"You're kidding me?!" Chris yelled as the sword came forward, Chris suddenly halting in the air as a trail of black following the blade before the trail split off, Chris falling flat to the ground with both a hole and gash in her armor as Ritsudo swiped the blade to the side.

 _-STANCE 2: ZERO RENDING-_

Chris was left staring up at the sky in the aftermath of the attacks, letting out a growl as she struggled to sit upright.

" _How can that girl use her power like that? It's almost as powerful as the other girl's Swan Song… and what's with that guy suddenly pulling out actual moves? The hell is with that Relic?"_ Chris thought, wincing as the Nehushtan began regenerating, pain biting across her as the armor slowly reformed, _"I have to finish this fast…"_

Chris stood and looked back to her opponents, letting out a growl when she saw Ritsudo still had his back to her, and Hibiki even had her eyes closed on top of it.

"Are you making fun of me?! Me, Yukina Chris?!"

"Oh, so _that's_ your name!" Ritsudo hummed, turning on his heel, placing his sword on his shoulders, Hibiki opening her eyes.

"Hey, Chris-chan… let's stop fighting already." Hibiki spoke up, Chris raising a brow, "We aren't like Noise. We can talk to each other. If we talk to each other, we can understand each other! Because we're both human!"

"You're a liar!" Chris growled, "A huge liar… a huge idiot!"

Ritsudo blocked Chris attacks as she lunged, catching her fist in his free hand and skidding back a bit from the force of it.

"Really, Hibiki couldn't lie even if she freaking tried, and, gotta concur, she's a bit on the dense side too… but she's honest and kind either way!" Ritsudo pushed Chris back, pointing his sword at her, "As for me… well, I'm kind of an ass who's been going through some checks on himself. So, you really wanna keep this up?"

Chris looked to the side as she let out a hiss, the armor continuing to fill the gaps and prickling her with pain, then letting out a growl as Hibiki gave a concerned look.

"Fly! Armor Purger!" Chris yelled, Hibiki and Ritsudo blocking as the Nehushtan flew off of Chris in sharp shards threatening to stab them, dust kicking up all around and even knocking down trees.

" _Killiter Ichaival tron."_

"This song…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo blinking.

"No way…" Ritsudo murmured, the dust clearing, Chris surrounding in the ever tell tale light of a Symphogear.

"I'll show you the Ichaival's power."

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ahhh cliffhangers, one of my favorite plot devices. Well, we shall continue on next chapter! I will see you then! And the song this chapter was "Story" by Kensho Ono.**


	8. Stanza VIII

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza VIII: Cuori Clamoroso**

"I'll show you the Ichaivals power!"

Ritsudo and Hibiki's eyes widened as the light flashed around Chris and the Symphogear's song began, and next they saw, she was clad in a Symphogear all her own, primarily white accented by black as with most Harmonic Gears, but bearing red accents and highlights, the largest section being a solid rear cape like piece.

"Ichaival… the bow wielded by Odin… huh, kinda funny actually." Ritsudo hummed, Chris raising an arm to just below her shoulder height.

"Chris-chan's just like us?!" Hibiki gasped.

"You made me sing." Chris growled, glaring at the other two, "You made me sing my song… I'll show you how much I hate singing!"

"You hate singing?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo jumping in front of Hibiki as one of Chris' gauntlets turned into a black, red edged crossbow.

 _ **If you gouge out your wounds, you'll be able to forget, right?  
Should I rip that kiddy justice off for you?**_

Chris' weapon fired off five beam like arrows at once, Ritsudo batting a few aside while Hibiki dodged the others, Ritsudo intercepting Chris as she shot towards Hibiki, the girl then bringing out a second crossbow and firing more bolts at Ritsudo to drive him back, the two weapons then changing into a set of double stacked rotary guns.

"Ah shit!" Ritsudo yelped, already shooting back with Hibiki as the guns began spinning.

 _ **HaHa! Now, it's show time.  
Rain of a bloodbath falls down like a volcano.  
Now, you guys, all of you, all of you, all of you, all of you, all of you  
I'll reject you. Yeah... I'll reject you!**_

The air was filled with the sounds of bullets tearing through the greenery as Ritsudo and Hibiki avoided and ducked through cover as fast as they could while Chris raked her guns across the clearing, following it up by pelting the area with a series of missiles deployed from the armor, adding even more gunfire into the mix through the smoke, her guns finally slowing to a stop, the girl panting as she slumped a bit before standing straight.

And as the smoke began to clear, in front of her and complete unscathed, was what looked to her like some kind of towering shield, shock running along Chris' face as she saw the object.

"A shield?"

"A sword!"

Chris looked upwards, snarling as she saw Tsubasa armored up and atop the massive sword, Chris then scoffing.

"Ha! I heard you were asleep and almost dead. Come here to help your loser friends?!" Chris challenged, jumping back when a wave of black nearly crashed into her, Ritsudo showing amid the splice between the dust, placing his sword across his shoulders, Chris then feeling the barrel of a gun press into the back of her head, shooting round to see Kyomei holding one of his pistols.

"Not really, they'd be able to handle it. But it is the job of seniors to protect their juniors when they get in trouble!" Kyomei stated, flicking his guns into rifle form and taking aim as Chris jumped back from him, Tsubasa nodding along to his statement.

"I decided that I will not ever lose again." Tsubasa stated, the comm line buzzing, Genjuuro's voice coming through.

" _Tsubasa. Don't force yourself. Kyomei, keep an eye on her."_

"Got it." Kyomei responded, glancing at Tsubasa, who nodded towards him, Tsubasa then glancing at Hibiki and Ritsudo.

"You two get back and recover… let us handle this girl for now. I may not be in top shape, but, with Kyomei here, I'll manage just fine." Tsubasa stated, jumping from her perch, the massive sword vanishing as she drew her katana, Ritsudo begrudgingly lowering his own weapon and moving back with Hibiki, Chris then letting out a yell as she opened fire again, Tsubasa leading the charge with her and Kyomei.

 _ **In a battlefield crying with lamentation  
I wipe away the drops of tedium  
I put my memories and my pride in every single slash of thunder**_

Tsubasa dodged the bullets rushing at her with ease as Chris kept fire on her, the girl then having to dodge when a shot from Kyomei's rifle shot past her, Tsubasa closing in and slashing, Chris dodging the attacks, attempting to use her gun as a club, Tsubasa easily dodging by leaping over the girl, slashing as she came down, Chris ducking the slash, and next she knew, just like when she fought Ritsudo, she found Tsubasa's sword being set near her neck, Tsubasa behind Chris, while Kyomei had his rifled trained on the girl.

" _She's moving completely differently, just like that guy…"_ Chris thought.

"Tsubasa-san, she's…" Hibiki spoke up, Tsubasa nodding.

"I know." Tsubasa responded, kicking Chris' legs to try and trip her up, the two facing each other as Tsubasa barred her sword, Kyomei still keeping his aim trained on Chris.

" _We're not here to cross swords with this girl… something about her just says we shouldn't."_ Kyomei thought, Tsubasa's voice still ringing out through the air, _"But, I'm sure Tsubasa also has questions about the Ichaival…"_

But, no fighting continued as a _keen_ sounded in the air, a red gleam being seen, Chris jumping out of the way as a familiar red spear shot down at her, nearly catching Chris as she shot back, smashing through one of her guns instead.

"What?!" Chris gasped, falling back and staring at the spear in shock, "Him?! You bastard, where are you?!"

"Under other circumstances, I may have felt sorry for you Chris… but your use has run out as of now." A black shaped crashed down and reclaimed the spear, Scortura adjusting his mask as he spun the weapon, Chris' eyes widening as the others readied themselves for a fight.

"You cannot even do what I ordered you too." A wavering voice carried through the air, the four 2nd Division wielders showing confusion, while Chris' eyes widened further, "How much must you disappoint me?"

All eyes turned to the real source of the voice, Finé clearly seen leaning on the railing of the nearby overlook, Solomon's Cain in her hand as she gazed out at the horizon.

"Finé?" Chris murmured, Ritsudo blinking.

" _What, like "the end" or something?"_ Ritsudo noted, Chris letting out a growl, Hibiki showing even more concern.

"I can stop the wars from starting without this thing!" Chris shouted, almost desperate in her tone, "And then, as you say, we'll be free from the curse, and the world will go back to being one, right?!"

"Haa… I'm done with you." Finé released a long, unamused sigh, Chris flinching at the blunt statement of rejection, Finé raising her free hand.

"What do you mean?!" Chris shouted, then everyone showed shock as Finé's hand began to glow, the shards of the Nehushtan turning to light and slowly drifting to Finé into a swirl until all the shards had been gathered, vanishing in a blink of light.

"Scortura, do as you wish with them, return once you've had your fun." Finé chuckled, leaping off and seemingly vanishing into the horizon, Chris being stopped from following by Scortura's spear flashing towards her, the weapon being deflected by a timely parry from Ritsudo, though Scortura kept his weapon locked in place rather than letting it be flung aside.

"So the blade answers to you now. How quaint. Seems I was a bit wrong about you." Scortura hummed, Ritsudo giving a solid glare in return, Scortura jumping back and scanning over the five opposing Symphogear users as he placed his spear on his shoulders, then tilting his head as Tsubasa and Kyomei stepped up before him, "Hmph, so, you two wish to go first then?"

"On the essential end, yes." Tsubasa stated, steadying her sword, Kyomei keeping his rifle steadily aimed, Scortura letting out a chuckle.

"Fine then, come at me and die first. See if fighting together makes a different." Scortura mused, taking a stance, Kyomei and Tsubasa nodding to one another, Ritsudo and Hibiki blinking in surprise as their Symphogears began glowing almost swearing they could see threads of pulsing light beginning to connect the two, "Huh, Synchronization?"

"So that's what it looks like when it works huh?" Ritsudo murmured, moving and stopping Chris as she tried slinking away, " _You_ aren't going anywhere."

"Tch…" Chris grumbled, Ritsudo looking back to things, Hibiki looking awestruck as the strings of light, which were rather clearly wave lengths now that they looked closely.

"It looks so pretty…" Hibiki murmured… and then the waves straightened out and faded, the flow subsided to an aura around Kyomei and Tsubasa.

Then their voices rang out as one.

 _ **I love you; I hope these thoughts reach you,  
I'm sure one day it'll come true,  
Such feelings are too painful!**_

Kyomei led off by forming his bow and firing off a series of arrows, Scortura dodging the projectiles only to be met by Tsubasa appearing behind him for a slash, quickly blocking her blade only to be met by Kyomei's pistol near his mask, dodging the shot only to receive the next blow from Tsubasa, reeling back and skidding to a halt, raising an arm to block as Kyomei peppered him with bullets.

 _ **I don't understand things such as beginnings,  
It seems like you could have an ordinary name and be anywhere.  
But no matter how many people there are,  
I'm sure to find you!**_

"Damn… so this is what a refined Synchronization is?" Ritsudo spoke with shocked awe, Hibiki silent as they watched Kyomei and Tsubasa moving in perfect synch to each other, like they were reading each other's thoughts to know what the other was doing as they pressed the assault against their enemy, the spear wielding Tuner barely keeping up as Tsubasa landed blows between his own blocks thanks to Kyomei's ranged attacks hitting their mark.

 _ **I don't like the me who locked up these quiet feelings  
And confined herself in a shell  
Each time that I halfheartedly hold myself back  
The pain merely grows**_

"They're actually getting ahead of me? Hehehehe… well isn't this amusing?" Scortura chuckled, ducking Tsubasa's next cut, which she quickly followed up with a flash of energy, that being blocked by the spear with a blow against it, the weapon glowing red as Scortura thrust it's tip forward, and when the attacked clear, a keen from above turned his attention skywards, Kyomei above and pulling back the string on his bow, red light gathering at the arrow as he pulled back as far as the weapon would allow, the bolt being loosed with a resounding sound and crashing down on their enemy with a resulting explosion.

 _ **What do you wish for?  
I want to be close to you,  
Forever, forever that's all I want and yet…  
(Thump thump…)**_

"Gagh! These two are actually harming me?!" Scortura growled, letting out a hiss as Kyomei landed and turned his bow into blades, the melee starting up again as Scortura attacked, his moves vicious and followed by red, mist like energy as he struck at the two, a blade lock occurring, Tsubasa and Kyomei driving Scortura's spear into the ground, and together, they reared back fists and slammed their foe right in his mask, knocking him back and nearly off his feet, fragmenting the item in the process, cracks appearing across the concealing item.

 _ **Love deterrence  
Look! The game's beginning  
If I was looking at you would you know?  
The starting bell chimes!**_

"Damn this… why am losing ground?!" Scortura growled, blocking the two as they continued the assault, Kyomei dodging away from the spear and launching the air with a quick push from Tsubasa, the latter keeping Scortura busy as he aimed his rifle, the spear user jumping back as Kyomei fired at him, particularly aiming for his mask, Scortura then blocking Tsubasa and shoving her aside, shooting forward as Kyomei landed and batting the rifle aside, but as he thrust his spear forward for an intended death blow, instead, his arm stopped dead, "WHAT?!"

 _ **Listen To My Heart  
My silent voice,  
Stop this love deterrence,  
I want to tell you everything about me!**_

Kyomei took the opening and shot up as his weapon turned into the twin blades again, striking at his frozen enemy and causing gashes in his chest armor as Tsubasa struck, sending Scortura reeling back before summoning falling blades to strike him, the two standing as the dust from the attack began clearing, Scortura standing up amid the blades that hadn't struck him or been diverted, leaning on his weapon and letting out a hiss, pieces of his mask falling to the ground.

"Hey, his mask is breaking!" Hibiki called out, Tsubasa and Kyomei nodding, Scortura rising up, one of the shards falling to reveal an eye, the orb glaring red in color, but, the rest soon followed with it, Scortura clamping a hand over his face to try and stop it.

"Koto?" Kyomei muttered, gasping when Scortura stood up, moving his gauntleted hand off of his face and revealing his features, Kyomei and Tsubasa gasping.

The shape of his face was the same of the person they knew, but Scortura's features were not the same, even if the two saw a resemblance to their old friend, but the stand out differences were his previously seen red eyes, darker skin tone, and white hair.

But, even odder, was that the Tuner looked like he was glitching. His looks would shift, change for brief flickers… red eyes turned to blue, dark tanned skin became paler, and white hair became blonde, other parts softening to a more youthful, not as hard look.

The features belonging to Koto.

"It is you!" Tsubasa gasped, Scortura scoffing, letting out a dark chuckle, both Kyomei and Tsubasa stepping back a bit as he flashed a manic smirk at them.

"Hehhe… you honestly think that _shell_ is still here? True my control over this body is slipping but your precious friend isn't here anymore." Scortura smirked, but Kyomei stepping forward and shaking his head make the look falter.

"No, he's not! You froze when you attacked me, and your appearance… my friend is in there, Kotone Cadenza, my best friend Koto, is in there!" Kyomei shouted, Scortura sighing.

"Right… you're annoyingly naïve and hopeful." Scortura scoffed, running a hand through his hair, a long, rattling breath then passing through him, "I've had enough of this… I could continue but in the state I'm in, I'd lose, and that's not part of the plan... hmph, consider yourselves lucky I couldn't fight you at full strength!"

"Wait!" Kyomei shouted, but, Scortura thrust his spear into the ground, sending up a torrent of red mist, which revealed that he was gone by the short time it faded, Kyomei letting out pained breath as his outstretched hand clenched into a fist, "Dammit."

"At the least… now we know he _is_ alive… we just have to free him from that person's control." Tsubasa put a hand on Kyomei's shoulder, the young man nodding, the two then turning around when they heard collisions and Ritsudo yelping, turning in time to see Chris shooting off while Ritsudo stumbled back.

"HEY! Get back here!" Ritsudo moved to intercept, but Chris fired at him to keep him back, the white haired boy letting out a growl as she jumped off and vanished.

" _We've lost the signal, you won't be able to pursue her."_ Aoi's voice came over the line, Ritsudo clicking his tongue.

"Great, just great." Ritsudo snapped, swinging his sword in frustration, a few trees falling in response, the other three looking at him as he glanced at them with wide eyes, "Whoops…"

"Ritsu! You need to be more careful swinging that thing if you can do that!" Hibiki scolded, Ritsudo raising a brow.

"Ehhh? Not like that was on purpose!" Ritsudo objected, Hibiki still giving him a stern look, Kyomei letting out a chuckle at the little scene.

"Hehehe… well, that's one way for a fight to end, I guess."

* * *

 _ **2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Division HQ/Elevator**_

"So, Koto _is_ alive, and he's being controlled by that spear user… but, _how?"_ Kyomei leaned back against the walling of the elevator as he and Tsubasa entered, the girl setting it up to head down, shrugging in response as she grabbed one of the handles as the descent began.

"It seems his control over Kotone isn't stable… his appearance was shifting like a computer glitch." Tsubasa observed, a hand on her chin, "Which means that it is definitely possible to free him."

"Which for now, is good enough for me… I'm just glad to know Koto's not dead." Kyomei hummed, pulling out the old Relic pendant in his pocket, "So now we just have to figure out how to solve this problem."

"Though it does beg the question why... or, rather, _where,_ did he go to end up like that? It's all so odd… it probably has to do with that Finé woman we saw there as well." Tsubasa added, Kyomei nodding, giving a small sigh as he pocketed his hands, "You know… I still wonder why Kanade fought… I think I'm starting to see. But… too be honest, I'm afraid of really understanding."

"Hmm… I think I can get what you mean…" Kyomei replied, flinching a bit when Tsubasa stepped over and leaned beside him, their shoulders coming into contact, "Though… growing up in this life of ours, it's kinda hard to understand other's reasons sometimes."

"It's not really that." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei glancing at her, "I'm not human. _Can I_ accept it? I could go back to being human. That would fix it, wouldn't it?"

"Eh?! What? Of course you're human, what are you saying!" Kyomei yelped, Tsubasa giving a surprised gasp as Kyomei grabbed her shoulders, the boy then releasing his hold and stepping back, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, "I mean… it's like what Kanade said… "If you're too serious, then one day you'll snap."… wait, or did Koto say it first? I don't remember…"

"Hehehe… you beat me to it." Tsubasa chuckled, Kyomei rubbing the back of his head, the girl's normally hardened gaze softening a bit just by looking at him, then turning a bit wistful, "But, if I went back, what could I do? No, I wouldn't even know what I should do…"

"Then just… figure it out." Kyomei stated, the elevator clunking to a stop, "You don't have to know right off the bat… and I think… Kanade would probably say something like "Just do what you want." Or something to that effect."

"Huh… and how do you know that?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei rubbing the side of his head as they stepped out of the elevator.

"I'unno… I just got this feeling I should say that." Kyomei replied, Tsubasa looking away then at him again.

"What I want huh?" Tsubasa hummed, the two proceeding along the hallway, "I'm sure a long time ago, I'd have a clearer answer for that…"

"Then… I'll help you find it." Kyomei stopped in place, Tsubasa turning back to him as he let out a long breath, "I mean… after all, we did… y'know… and as your partner it's my job to watch your back and help you… so…"

"You don't have to say anything else if you can't." Tsubasa silenced Kyomei by putting a finger on his lips, a soft smile rising on her face, "You saying you'll be here to help me is enough. Thank you."

"R-Right…" Kyomei murmured, a small smile of his own coming around as Tsubasa lowered her hand, "Then let's figure out where things are gonna take us from here on out. Together."

"We have been together since we were kid. It's only natural then." Tsubasa chuckled, stepping forward and hugging Kyomei, the boy flinching from surprise for a moment, slowly returning the gesture.

" _Hehehe, see, what'd I tell ya'? You don't need me around."_

Tsubasa let out a gasp of surprise, looking down the other end of the hall, Kyomei showing confusion at her sudden jolt, but a brief shake of her head dissuaded it.

"It's nothing. C'mon, we have a meeting to get to!"

"Hehe… it's been too long since I've seen you smile like that, Tsubasa." Kyomei mused, watching as Tsubasa trotted off down the hall, letting out a chuckle, "I hope you're watching Kanade… she's finally smiling again."

* * *

 _ **Park**_

"Geez… I really need to get a better sense of direction when I have these things on…"

Ritsudo gave a sigh as he pulled his headphones off his ears and looked around the trees of the park, his night time stroll having brought him there purely by chance of him just walking along and taking any turn he found.

"Do my feet just carry me to random places or something?" Ritsudo sighed, folding his arms, "Dunno… last time this happened I ended up running into Noise and then met Hibiki… maybe it's not chance? Hell if I know…"

Ritsudo then felt this twinge in his head, letting out a sigh. It was the same twinge he felt when Kusanagi was "communicating" with him. It was still weird to him he could interpret the _intent_ of the sentient Relic, but anything resembling proper communication was basically a pipe dream of an event.

"Still… then there was Kyomei and Tsubasa Synchronizing… heh, no I suddenly feel like all that progress I made got left in the dust since Hibiki and I can't Synch… but…" Ritsudo folded his arms, a hum sounding from his throat, "Is that because Kusanagi and Gungnir are just incompatible… or is the damn sword being it's usual self and not doing something because it doesn't want to?"

Again, a twinge coming as a response, Ritsudo's eye twitching as he caught the intent: Denial. The sword was denying his claim it rejected Gungnir on purpose. And yet for some reason it also made him feel like it was suspiciously specific as well.

"If I had to give it a sentence, I'd say you just said "Not like I didn't because it'd hurt my pride!" or something like that." Ritsudo sighed, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, "Geez… even if you listen to me now I still barely understand a thing about you…"

Ritsudo sighed again, though his attention was pulled forward from his walking as he heard crying, looking ahead to see two kids, a brother and a sister, before him, the latter of the two small children sitting on the bench with tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry!" The bother firmly stated, Ritsudo shrugging to himself.

"Hey! What's going on over here?" Ritsudo called out, the brother turning to him as he trotted over, "What're two kids your guys' age doing out here alone at this hour?"

"We weren't alone actually." The boy stated, Ritsudo lifting a brow, glancing at the girl and noting she was nursing one of her ankles, "We were with our dad… but then we got lost. We were looking for him, but my sister's legs started hurting, so we had to stop."

"Ohh, so that's what's going on." Ritsudo hummed, and to any who knew him, they would've noticed his demeanor seemed to switch completely as he stepped over to the girl and kneeled down, showing an uncommon, warm smile to the child, "Hey, you alright?"

"Mhmm… my legs are just sore." The girl murmured, sniffling a little bit, Ritsudo giving a chuckle.

"Yeah, I know how that feels too. My legs get really, _really_ sore if I'm walking for too long." Ritsudo replied, his tone much more… cheerful than how he usually spoke, "But I just got used to it… but, you're small, so resting like this is good, no need to feel sad, alright?"

"That's what I was telling her." The brother muttered, folding his arms, Ritsudo letting out a small chuckle.

"That's mean!" The sister replied, Ritsudo letting out a soft sigh as the siblings stared each other down.

"I see you two get along well." Ritsudo hummed, standing up, "Well then, if you want some help I can…"

"Hey you! The hell are you doing?!"

"Huh?" Ritsudo glanced around, and his look became tense as he saw none other than _Chris_ stalking towards him, "Just my rotten luck…"

"You with the headphones, what're you doing picking on these kids?" Chris demanded, Ritsudo letting out a noise.

"Picking on them? Is that your first impression?" Ritsudo responded, _"Does she seriously not recognize me? Not like I look that different without my armor… hell she's seen me without it!"_

"He wasn't being mean!" The little girl spoke up, peering out from behind Ritsudo, "He was helping us!"

"About to help us." The brother corrected.

"What? But… it looked like…" Chris murmured, Ritsudo sighing as he folded his arms.

" _Wonder how many calories she burned jumping to conclusions like that."_ Ritsudo thought, turning back to the kids, "Ignoring that, do you guys remember where you last saw your dad?"

"He was in town when we got separated…" The brother murmured, a hand on his chin.

"H-Hey! Don't just go and ignore me like that!" Chris shouted, "Excuse me for thinking it looked like you were making fun of the girl!"

"How did you get _that?"_ Ritsudo sighed, putting a hand on his head, "Back on topic, you said you got separated from your dad in town, right?"

"Yes." The boy nodded, Ritsudo standing up and making a small fist pump.

"Alright, then leave it to me! I'll stick with the two of you until we find him, sound good? Can't leave a couple of kids wandering around at this hour can I?" Ritsudo chuckled, his grin and the different, kinder air around him getting the kids to smile in return and nod, Chris watching the scene with confusion on her face, "Hey, you wanna help me find their dad or not?"

"EHH?! Why would I help out, I was just passing through!" Chris objected, folding her arms beneath her chest, Ritsudo giving a small chuckle that came off as all _kinds_ of smug, "What's with that smug expression."

"What smug look, this is just my face." Ritsudo replied, the look instantly changing to the previous expression, Chris letting out a sound.

"Liar! I saw that just now, you were smirking with this really smug glint in your eyes!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo tilting his head.

"What do you mean "smug glint"? I have no idea what you're talking about." Ritsudo's coy statement was so obvious it was impossible to not tell he was kidding even despite his tone of voice, Chris letting out a growl.

"Ghghghgh…" Chris grumbled, _"Why does this guy just tick me off so much?!"_

"Well, if that's done and over, let's get looking for your dad alright. If you're legs still hurt, I can carry you on my back if you like." Ritsudo kneeled down in front of the two kids, the girl shaking her head.

"N-No! I'm better now!" The girl responded, Ritsudo nodding.

"Okay then, let's get searching." Ritsudo nodded, glancing back at Chris as he started leading the kids off, then shrugging as he faced forward.

"Wait!" Chris shouted, the trio of teenager and children stopping, Ritsudo looking back as Chris trotted over, "Haagh, fine, I'll help you look, but _only_ because I find you fishy!"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not, but, whatevs. The more the merrier I suppose." Ritsudo shrugged again, "Alright, let's go… again!"

The following search for the kids father was relatively silent, the teenagers and their escorts scanning around to spot anyone, Ritsudo occasionally asking the brother if they'd stumbled upon who they were looking for, but otherwise, it was just a process of continuing along the streets looking.

" _We're getting nowhere… how long were these kids wandering around?"_ Ritsudo thought, his left hand twisting the longer portion of the back of his hair as he mulled on things, though the sound of some humming got him to glance over at Chris, the short girl audibly humming a tune of her own, only stopping once she noticed the girl looking at her.

"W-What?" Chris muttered.

"Do you like singing?" The girl asked, Chris letting out a breath.

"I hate songs." Chris bitterly grumbled in response, Ritsudo pocketing his free hand as he more directly looked at her, "Especially mine… all it does is break things."

"It's a cute voice either way." Ritsudo stated, Chris yelping, a blush showing up.

"S-Shut up! Why're you even commenting?!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo giving a light sigh as the kids chuckled.

"Dad!" The brother stopped in his tracks, his sister gaining her own grin, Ritsudo turning to see the man they'd found, a grin showing as the kids ran over to their father, Chris looking on herself.

"There you are! Where did you go?" Ther father asked the kids, concern in his voice, his daughter then pointing to the teenagers.

"They got lost with us!" The girl stated, her brother sighing.

"Wrong. They helped us find you." The boy corrected, Ritsudo giving a chuckle at his deadpan remark.

"I'm sorry you two had to do that." The father bowed his head a bit, Ritsudo putting up a hand.

"It's no problem sir. I like kids, so helping a couple find their dad after getting lost is no skin off my back." Ritsudo replied, Chris nodding.

"Yeah… It was on the way for me anyway." Chris muttered, looking to the side with a "Is this really happening?" look.

"Did you two say thank you to them?" Ther father asked, his kids also bowing.

"Thank you!" The children thanked, Ritsudo nodding to them both.

"You're very welcome, I'm glad I could help." Ritsudo replied, giving a small bow of his own, Chris showing a small little grin of her own.

"You guys are close. Hey, would you mind telling me how you all came to be so close?" Chris inquired, kneeling down in front of the girl, who then hugged her brothers arm.

"I don't know. We always fight." The brother replied, Ritsudo shrugging with a slight, amused snicker.

"We fight, but we make up, so we're friends!" The sister added.

"Hehe… that's siblings for ya' I guess. Well then, make sure you don't get lost again a'ight?" Ritsudo hummed, the kids nodding, waving to him as they left with their dad, the teenager returning the gesture, then glancing at Chris as she turned to leave, "So… either you seriously didn't recognize me, or you were playing dumb… can I ask which one?"

"What? The hell do you mean?!" Chris turned around, then stopping, looking at Ritsudo with a keener gaze, then her eyes widened, "Ehhh?! You're seriously the same Tuner from…"

"SHHHH! Can you _not_ shout that shit in public? Geez… so you _didn't_ recognize me?" Ritsudo muttered, his tone gaining that near trademark hint of annoyance.

"It _is_ you!" Chris yelped, Ritsudo putting a hand on his head and sighing, "Great… I honestly didn't put stock in it after I saw you being so nice to those kids."

" _That's_ what threw you off?! I know I'm an asshole but I can be nice when I want to be, thank you very much!" Ritsudo snapped in reply, Chris letting out a frustrated groan as she folded her arms.

"Well sor-ry for going by my first impression. Besides, we're enemies as it stands." Chris replied, Ritsudo leaning more to the side, a hand on his hips.

"Yeah but last I checked your boss ditched you and _then_ sicced her buddy on you." Ritsudo pointed out, Chris glaring at him, "From my perspective, that makes you one of two things: A neutral party or someone effectively on the same team as me."

"Pffhahaha! Me, on the same team as _you_ and that Gungnir girl? Don't make me laugh!" Chris scoffed, but Ritsudo easily saw her smirk wasn't genuine in any way.

" _I'm sensing tsundere… lots of it…"_ Ritsudo sighed, putting a hand over his eyes, "Look, I'm not one to deal with someone who's obviously posing to cover something up. I'll be honest, if that Finé lady sicced that spear using guy on you, then what _are_ you hoping to hear? You gonna do that cliché bit where the abandoned minion scuttles back to their master and begs to know why they were left behind? Or are you smart enough to get they're just gonna try to kill you the first chance they get?"

"Shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about!" Chris objected, Ritsudo just giving her a look.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't… but, if I'm right and your boss does try to kill you, well… I'll be on call." Ritsudo turned to leave in his own direction, Chris giving a sound.

"Ehhh?! Be on call? What, you think I'd need your _help?"_ Chris shouted, but, it seemed Ritsudo wasn't paying attention as he carried on, "Stupid! You're an idiot! Just buzz off got it!?"

Ritsudo sighed as Chris gave a huff and stomped off, the young man glancing back just a bit, flexing one of his hands before pocketing it, looking upwards as he continued along.

" _She's someone like me, someone who's come out of a bad past… the only difference is, she's not exactly out of the woods yet… then again, types like her are the ones who change sides part way through the game. I doubt I'm seeing the last of this Yukine Chris girl."_ Ritsudo thought, his other hand hovering over his chest, where his scar was, _"It's aching… something's gonna happen soon, isn't it?"_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Haaaghh… long chapters are draining but** _ **so freakin' worth it!**_ **This one was fun, lottsa fun! And it will continue onwards, hehehe! And the song shown in this chapter was** _ **Koi no Yokushiryoku (Love Deterrence)!**_ **See ya' all next time!**


	9. Stanza IX

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza IX: Nuovo Collegamento**

 _ **Lydian Academy**_

"Ugh… I stayed up way too late last night."

Ritsudo gave a yawn as he wandered the halls of the academy, the day dreary from an early morning rainstorm.

" _But… I'm still stuck on that Chris girl… if she paid attention, she's probably either meandering around town… or was actually dumb enough to go back to her old boss…"_ Ritsudo gave a sigh at the thought, hefting his bag over his shoulder, moving around a corner when his communicator started buzzing in his pocket, looking around to make sure nobody was there before he answered, "Ritsudo here… something happen?"

" _Ah, good, you both answered."_ Genjuuro's rumbling voice came across the line first, then a hum from Hibiki in turn.

" _Is it the Noise?"_ Hibiki asked, Genjuuro humming to confirm.

"Where did they show up? I don't mind ditching class to take care of it." Ritsudo stated, Genjuuro sighing at the remark.

" _That's right. We've detected a Noise pattern in City Block 6. Fortunately, it was early morning, and there were no casualties."_ Genjuuro explained, Ritsudo gleaning a pensive look at the oddity of that. Noise attacks, even small ones, usually had _some_ casualties to them. _"But we saw the pattern for the Ichaival, as well as the Noise."_

" _Well that answers that question. Guess she_ did _get attacked."_ Ritsudo thought, giving a sigh at the rather unsurprising turn of events.

" _Which means, Master, that Chris-chan was fighting the Noise?"_ Hibiki asked.

" _Possibly."_

"Well if it's a possibility I think we should try to find her. She couldn't have far if the attack was that recent." Ritsudo stated, a small sigh coming from Hibiki, "Something up?"

" _Uh… I was just thinking she might not have anywhere to go back to."_ Hibiki stated, Ritsudo giving a hum as he shrugged, Genjuuro sounding quizzical.

" _That could be."_ Genjuuro answered, _"We'll continue to investigate. Until further notice, both of you stay on standby."_

"Roger that." Ritsudo hummed, "Hey, Hibiki, don't hang up yet."

" _Huh?"_

"Look, I don't wanna tell the old man this, so I waited… but, the other night, I ran into Chris… hagh, honestly I kinda warned her about things, but I think the Noise attack was because whoever she worked, whoever that Finé person is, sent the Noise after her." Ritsudo stated, Hibiki giving a gasp.

" _Well then… what should we do?"_ Hibiki asked, Ritsudo shrugging.

"For no… wait. Until we have an idea of _where_ the girl is, we can't do anything." Ritsudo stated, putting a hand on the back of his head.

" _Yeah…"_ Hibiki's tone sounded down, Ritsudo sighing.

"Okay, what's got _you_ in the dumps?"

" _Eh? W-Well… uh… Miku and I got into a fight yesterday. She's mad I didn't tell her about how we're fighting the Noise and Symphogears. I don't know what to do… she… she said she can't be my friend anymore."_ Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo bunching his free hand into a fist.

"We can talk this one out on the roof after classes alright?" Ritsudo stated, Hibiki giving an affirmative.

* * *

"And I ended up skipping class anyway…"

Ritsudo let out a heavy sigh as he sat from his laying position on the bench, checking the time on his phone before flopping down again, using his bag as an impromptu pillow, his arms hanging off the side, a listless expression on his face as he stared at the clouds.

"Maybe a nap wouldn't be so bad right now… huaaaagh, gotta wait for Hibiki anyway." Ritsudo gave a deep yawn again as he put his free arm over his eyes, already starting to drift off…

"EI!"

 _WHAP!_

"GAAAGH!" Ritsudo yelped as something impacted with the top of his head, making him shoot right up, looking around as he heard light laughing, shooting to behind him to spot Hibiki, barely restraining laughter as she stumbled back.

"Pffffhehehhe…" Hibiki chuckled, Ritsudo giving her a glare, "Sorry sorry!"

"The hell?! That hurt!" Ritsudo snapped.

"It was just a light tap!"

"Yeah but you hit like a truck. Some pacifist…" Ritsudo grumbled, rubbing the top of his head, Hibiki's light laughter fading down to a more downtrodden look, "That face doesn't suit you at all."

"Eh?" Hibiki hummed, Ritsudo moving to a sitting position, letting her take the open spot where his bag had been.

"So, you said something about an argument with that Miku girl?" Ritsudo hummed, Hibiki nodding, the white haired young man giving a hum, "You'd think she'd understand the need for secrecy with this kind of thing."

"Yeah…" Hibiki murmured, looking up at the clearing sky, "It's just… weird. I was keeping secrets because it would keep her safe… but now I feel bad for doing it."

"Look, Hibiki, you're one of my only friends, so advice on this kind of thing isn't my forte…. But…" Ritsudo murmured, a hand on his head as he sighed again, "I can try. You two need to talk it out and _not_ let the bridge burn, if it makes sense. Knowing you you'll find a way to do it."

"Maybe… honestly, I thought I was ready for this." Hibiki sighed, Ritsudo glancing over at her as she kept staring at the clouds, "I thought I was ready to be a Symphogear warrior, to protect what mattered to me. But it's no good. Something so small has totally thrown me off, and I can't do anything. I need to get stronger, but… I want to change, but…"

"Maybe all you need is something small." Ritsudo replied, pulling out his pendant, sliding his thumb over it, "I went into this with no goal, no desires… I only wanted the cheap thrill of a fight, nothing more. I didn't care about defending people or anything like that… I was hollow and empty, trying to make a show to get attention."

As if accenting his point, Ritsudo stood and shifted the pendant into it's sword form, spinning the weapon and holding it steady, his eyes reflected in the flat of it as he shifted it, Hibiki staring at the melancholic expression on the boy's face.

"All I've got to fight with is this sword… but that's fine. As long as I can use it to defend even one person, as long as I save one life with this sword, then to me, all of this is worth it. What I want isn't some grand goal… I want to stop the Noise so nobody else becomes another statistic on a list." Ritsudo's grip on the handle of the sword tightened, the shifting noise of it's parts softly sounding, "So that's why I think even having something small can be something worth fighting to defend. Just don't lose yourself trying to become strong. Not like I did…"

"Ritsu…" Hibiki murmured, the young man reverting the sword with a swing, only a drift of black coming off of his hand before he was holding the pendant again, "Something small, huh?"

"Tch, great, I went off on a tangent about myself when I should've been encouraging you… pff, some friend I am." Ritsudo sighed, sitting down, Hibiki shaking her head, to his confusion.

"No! It was good advice! It's just… you looked so sad earlier, like you were remembering something bad."

"Heh… well, it's not like my life has exactly been the easiest in the world." Ritsudo muttered, "My parents were killed in a Noise attack, and none of my other relatives thought I was worth enough of a damn to take me in… instead they shipped me off to live along and stay out of their hair. Ugh… I don't like thinking about them, it just pisses me off."

"So, you've had family troubles too huh?" Hibiki murmured, Ritsuod raising a brow at the remark, but the conversation didn't go much further as Ritsudo's phone started going off, the boy raising a brow when he saw it was a number he didn't know… which really, was most phone numbers.

"Did someone dial the wrong number again or something?" Ritsudo muttered, Hibiki grabbing his arm as she glanced, "Huh?"

"That's Miku's number!" Hibiki spouted, Ritsudo raising a brow, "I kind of… told her what it was in case she couldn't get a hold of me… just to be safe, in case we were working and I forgot my phone or something, since we're partners y'know?"

"You're the salt of the earth Hibiki." Ritsudo sighed, "Why would Kohinata call me? Doesn't she, not like me?"

 _Plip!_

"Yo, you've reached Ritsudo Narukami… whaddya want Kohinata?" Ritsudo muttered, hearing a sigh on the other end, "That's how I greet everyone for the record."

" _Whatever… look, I found someone while I was on the town… and I think she knows you."_ Miku replied, Ritsudo glancing at Hibiki.

"I don't know a lot of people, so… mind telling me how you came to this conclusion?" Ritsudo asked, Miku sighing again.

" _She said 'that idiot with the white hair and headphones'… you're the only person I know who fits that description."_ Miku replied, Ritsudo's expression faulting to a flat look, _"Her name's Chris, by the way."_

"Son of a bitch…" Ritsudo sighed, a hand on over his eyes.

" _So you_ do _know her then?"_

"Sadly, yes." Ritsudo grumbled, pulling his hand down his face, "Hagh… I'll stop by wherever you are and pick her up."

" _Alright. I'm at Flower, that restaurant in the shopping district."_

"I know that one." Ritsudo nodded, Miku hanging up as soon as he gave a confirmation, the boy sighing, "Well, guess we know where Chris is now."

"Eh? Chris-chan? Why did Miku call about her?" Hibiki asked, Ritsuo shrugging.

"Guess Kohinata found her in the streets." Ritsudo replied, "I'll head over and _hope_ she doesn't run off… maybe we can figure something out from her about just what the heck is going on here. If you want, you can come with me so you and Kohinata can chat."

"I'd rather not right now…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo shrugging, "But, good luck talking with Chris-chan."

"I'm gonna need it." Ritsudo quipped, rolling his eyes as he thought about it, "This won't be fun."

* * *

The quiet walk into town didn't last long for Ritsudo once he made it to the shopping district, the mid-day buzz ceasing as the warning alarm began blaring through the air, Ritsudo pulling out his communicator as it buzzed yet again.

"Here!" Ritsudo ducked into a corner as he answered the call, two more buzzes indicating others joining.

" _Tsubasa here. Tachibana is with me."_ Tsubasa was the first on the line, Genjuuro following suit.

" _We've detected Noise. A lot of them. It's likely they're related to the Noise we saw this morning."_ Genjuuro stated.

"I'm already in the area, I'll intercept that ASAP." Ritsudo replied, Genjuuro giving a hum.

" _Roger."_

Ritsudo nodded as he hung up and dashed out, moving past the crowd running opposite him, weaving through until he was in the clear, looking around to make sure he was alone.

"Time to gear up… _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

As soon as the armor formed, Noise began appearing around Ritsudo, the boy gripping his sword and swinging at the first one to come close, dashing through the ones behind it, spotting more shooting off towards the river.

" _If I'm right, then those things are after Chris… which means following them will lead me right to her!"_ Ritsudo thought, jumping up to the roofs and chasing after the Noise, attacking the ones who shot at him while cutting down the ones he caught up too, getting to the riverside in seconds, spotting Chris dodging Noise jumping at her.

"Out of the way!" Ritsudo shouted, Chris looking up to see the boy lunging down at the noise with black energy swirling around his sword, a slash whipping the energy out in a torrent around him that blew away the Noise caught in it, Ritsudo skidding to a stop in front of Chris.

"You?! What are you doing here?!" Chris yelped, Ritsudo standing and leveling his sword at the Noise.

"Kohinata called me, since apparently, you mentioned me." Ritsudo stated, Chris looking to the side as he glanced back at her.

"I don't need your help!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo rolling his eyes, moving to cut down more Noise, but as he did, Genjuuro shot down from nowhere and stomped the ground, the pavement rising up and blocking the attacking Noise, Ritsudo taking the chance to jump from the cover and slash them aside, Genjuuro grabbing Chris and leaping off, Ritsudo following.

"If you didn't need help then maybe you should've armored up sooner." Ritsudo stated, looking down at the swarm below, "Geez, this is bad. Your old boss must be pretty pissed off."

"Screw you!" Chris shouted, pushing Genjuuro away. _"Killiter Ichaival Tron!"_

Once she was armored, Chris led off by firing her crossbows at the airborne Noise, turning to Genjuuro and Ritsudo as they in turn looked at her.

"See for yourself! I'm just fine, so go help the others!" Chris snapped.

"But…" Genjuuro muttered, the girl scoffing.

"I said that I'll handle these! Follow me you pieces of crap!" Chris changed her weapons into the rotary gun form, leaping off the roof and opening fire, Ritsudo shaking his head.

"I'll stay here and help her fight these things off." Ritsudo stated, noting the look on Genjuuro's face as he turned, "I'll also drag her back with me if I have to, so, Boss, please go and help the others get out of here!"

"Alright. Make sure you come back!" Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo nodding, leaping to the ground and attacking, Chris now at the other side of the river, firing wildly at the Noise attacking her.

"Let's go Kusanagi!"

 **HaHa! Now, it's show time.  
Rain of a bloodbath falls down like a volcano.  
Now, you guys, all of you, all of you, all of you, all of you, all of you  
I'll reject you. Yeah... I'll reject you.**

Chris skid to a stop from her assault on the Noise swarming her, turning to attack the next group, Ritsudo shooting by like a bolt and cutting them down, a glance following before they flipped around and took down more, ending up back to back, Chris giving a growl.

"The hell are you doing here, I said I've got this!" Chris snapped, her guns chewing through the seemingly endless swarm, Ritsudo sending out waves of the black energy to keep a distance.

"Not really… part of my new M.O. to just ignore someone who could use some help!" Ritsudo replied, kicking back a blob like Noise, "We could make this easier thought!"

"Hah, and how do you propose to do that?!" Chris snapped, swinging her gun around, Ritsudo ducking as she opened fire on the next wave.

"Well it's an easy enough answer… Synchronize!" Ritsudo shouted, spinning around and slashing, multiple midair cuts shooting forward at the group in front of him, Chris giving an annoyed sound.

"Synchronize? With _you?!_ Ha! That'll be the fucking _day!"_ Chris snapped, driving her weapon right onto a Noise and drilling through it with bullets, Ritsudo sighing as they ended up back to back again.

"Well considering this swarm doesn't look like it's gonna end any time soon, I'd say our options aren't very broad!" Ritsudo pointed out, Chris letting out a hiss as two of the groups formed into larger Noise clusters, still joined by more normal sized drones.

"Say we do, how do you know it would work?"

"I don't."

"WHAT?!"

"We've got two options: Either the Synch works and we kick these things asses five times to Sunday… or it fails and they're blown away by the backlash. Either way, we walk out of this one alive and… hopefully in one piece." Ritsudo stated, Chris giving him a look, then letting out a hiss, _"Kusanagi I swear if you fuck this one up on me I will throw you into the river! Don't reject Ichaival like you did Gungnir, got it?!"_

"Ngh… fine, whatever! Just this one time! If it works, we never do it again, if not, I'm kicking your ass got it!?" Chris snapped, Ritsudo snickering.

"If we can even move afterwards… if it fails." Ritsudo quipped, Chris hissing as she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever!"

"You're a massive Tsun, y'know that?"

"Oh fuck you too! Just shut up and get this over with!"

"How am I supposed to sing when you tell me to shut up?"

"JUST STOP TALKING ALREADY!"

Ritsudo gave a light snicker in reply, both shutting their eyes and focusing, light beginning to drift off of their armors, the pulsing waves beginning to link together in the same fashion as when Kyomei and Tsubasa had performed the action, the pulses glowing brighter before completely joining, a burst in the air following as the Gears began glowing, Ritsudo giving a smirk, the tune coming from the Gears being his song, both teens voices carrying out.

 _ **I was yelling with sensuous impulse,  
I got the feeling you were gonna go somewhere far away…  
"I want to see you!"**_

Chris was launched into the air with a push from Ritsudo, a barrage of missiles flying from her armor and pelting the Noise below, Ritsudo spinning his sword around until it whipped up a gale, the twisting catching the Noise and flinging them upwards, Chris landing and firing at the caught Noise with her guns back in rotary form, explosions following while Ritsudo jumped through the smoke, driving his sword into one of the larger Noise clusters, black gales bursting from it as Ritsudo ripped the sword down its middle, spinning and sending a wave of the energy out to fell more of the swam as he hit the ground.

 _ **I could have said it in a parallel world,  
I wouldn't have feared a thing if it'd been within a dream,  
Back then when I was running away from reality,  
I was walking on and on through days of regret!**_

Chris then shot around and swept her guns over the Noise, mowing them down with ease and focusing on the larger beast, holes ripping through its body as it lumbered forward, Ritsudo shooting into the fray, the link formed from the synchronization allowing him to not only know _where_ Chris was shooting without having to watch her, Chris knowing where Ritsudo was moving in the swarm as he cut down the Noise, Ritsudo launching into the air again from the smoke, black, phantasmal swords forming as Chris' gear locked into the ground, twin warheads forming from the back armor as it shifted and rose up, the two attacks launching at once and clashing at the giant Noise, the air whipping around in a gale as the explosion rose into the air.

 _-MEGADETH STORM-_

The dust began settling as the two Symphogear users collapsed onto the ground, both panting as they leaned on each other's backs, Ritsudo letting out a long breath while Chris' breathing was labored.

"Jesus… _fuck…_ that was exhausting." Ritsudo panted, running a hand through his hair, sweat dripping from the strands, "Well… they do say… the first time… is always a bitch!"

"Shut it…. I'm the exhausted one here! Moving around the much… is a pain in my ass!" Chris grumbled, then looking down, giving a long breath to steady herself, "Did you see anything?"

"What?"

"In your head! Did you see anything?" Chris snapped, Ritsudo blinking, then slowly nodding, his breathing starting to level out. "Tch… great…"

"Well if you did, mind saying what _you_ saw then?" Ritsudo muttered, _"Guess synching gets you in each other's heads… literally… geez some of those images were unpleasant."_

"Please you…" Chris stopped herself from spouting off, letting out a breath, thinking of the most prominent images she saw in her head, "I saw… I saw a kid standing in front of a gravestone with his parents' names on it… his eyes were blank as he just stared, everyone around him leaving without a single damn care… and from there… you, standing over a bunch of guys with… blood dripping from your hands…"

"My mom and dad's funeral… and when I beat up those bastards who tried to fight me after that… incident two years ago." Ritsudo muttered, Chris shooting him a look, obviously saying it was his turn, "Alright alright… what stuck out the most was a girl screaming down at the bodies of two dead people below her… then… ngh, god this is sick to think about, that same girl being… dragged off with other kids and… god dammit your past is fucked up."

"What an _eloquent_ way to put it." Chris bitterly remarked, standing up, Ritsudo also standing, and the difference in their heights felt even more evident, Chris giving an irked glance as she noted she _barely_ reached Ritsudo's shoulders, "You're too damn tall…"

"Hey I'm average height… for a guy in America… you're just short." Ritsudo remarked in reply, Chris giving him a glare, "That's off topic…"

"Doesn't matter. I said only the one time, then we're done. So, you can buzz off about now." Chris replied, though as she turned, she stopped when Ritsudo grabbed her by the wrist, "What?!"

"You're just gonna wander off huh? Do you even have a place to head back to?" Ritsudo asked, Chris looking away with a glare.

"Like it matters to you! I'll figure something out!"

"That's a no."

"Why do you care?" Chris grumbled, wrenching her arm free of Ritsudo's grasp, "We're not friends or even allies… working together like this was a one-time thing, so just leave me alone from now on!"

"As long as this is going on and you have a Relic, you're not going to be able to just walk out." Ritsudo pointed out, Chris stopping again, "Finé is going to keep coming after you. Being on your own won't help you one bit."

"So?! I'll just deal with whatever she throws at me." Chris replied, turning again and stalking off, "I'll kick your ass if I see you again, so don't bother following me anywhere!"

"Considering I already have a hunch where you're going… not likely." Ritsudo muttered, turning away himself, pocketing his hands as he walked off to the bridge, feeling a twinge in his hand, moving a hand over where his pendant sat, "What? You actually liked tuning with that bow?" Another twinge as a reply, "Unbelievable… you won't synch with Gungnir because apparently "Fuck that guy", but you'll tune with the bow used by the same god? You're a piece of work ya' damn shiv."

Ritsudo ignored the twinge that gave off a feeling of insulted anger, looking back over his shoulder at the white haired girl keeping his back to him, and he smirked as he caught her stealing a glance back, continuing on himself.

"Funny to say… but I think I understand her better than I do the others… with everything going down, I've got the feeling things are going to reach a head real soon… and we're going to need everyone we can get." Ritsudo murmured, looking up at the sky as he walked along the bridge, sighing and looking forward again, "And all we can do right now is wait…"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **AGGGHHHH… this was a one day bust out, but lord was it worth it! Things are heating up and** _ **oohhh**_ **am I gonna love it!**


	10. Stanza X

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza X: Anello del Guardian**

"Haaagh… he's gone _again…_ where does Ritsudo even run off too half the time?"

Kyomei let out a long sigh as he wandered the halls of the base, his arms behind his head as he meandered about, a previous search for Ritsudo on the campus having proved completely fruitful… nothing more than a note in his dorm room (considering Kyomei had a spare key due to the other Tuner's… habits) saying he'd be out for "a while."

"And when he says a while that can mean either a few hours or a couple days…" Kyomei sighed again, moving a hand over his eyes as he pocketed the other, "He's so troublesome sometimes…"

"Kyomei-senpai!"

Kyomei looked down from his staring at the ceiling to see Hibiki just a short ways away and waving, Miku by her side, the upperclassman returning the wave as they approached.

"Hey there, Hibiki… hmm? Who's this?" Kyomei looked to Miku, the brown haired girl giving a small bow.

"I'm Kohinata Miku, Hibiki's roommate and best friend. It's nice to meet you, senpai." Miku greeted, Kyomei nodding.

"Nice to meet you Kohinata. Hibiki has said quite a bit about you. It's nice to finally meet you." Kyomei stated, Miku nodding in return, then Hibiki chuckled.

"Miku, get this… Kyomei-senpai and Tsubasa-san are also a couple!" Hibiki chuckled, Kyomei's face popping to red near immediately, Miku having an awed look as she looked at the dark blue haired boy.

"Really?! But… isn't it bad for idols to have boyfriends?" Miku inquired, Kyomei letting out a sigh.

"Hibiki! Don't make it sound weird! Besides… we've only kissed one time so far… and not like we can be open about it in public because of the idol thing… we just… uhm…" Kyomei muttered, scratching the back of his head in that habit of his. "L-Look, let's not bother with that… granted I am on my way to see Tsubasa since her checkup was today... then I started wandering…"

"Well then let's go see Tsubasa-san together!" Hibiki cheered, both Kyomei and Miku sighing, following either way.

"I'm sorry if she causes trouble around here." Miku started, Kyomei shaking his head.

"Not really… I mean, Hibiki is energetic yes, but she's a nice girl and doesn't cause many problems… well… most of the time." Kyomei admitted, Miku giving a hum, and rather quickly as it was, the trio came across Tsubasa talking with Shinji, Sakuya off to the side.

"Ah! Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki called out, rushing ahead of Kyomei and Miku, Tsubasa turning to the three of them.

"Kyomei, Tachibana? And that's…" Tsubasa trailed off as she got to Miku, the dark haired girl giving a respectful bow.

"Hello. I'm Kohinata Miku."

"She's my best friend!" Hibiki chuckled.

"I'm sure her personality causes many problems for you, but please support her." Tsubasa requested, Kyomei looking to the side at the comment of Hibiki's personality yet again, Hibiki giving an objected gasp.

"Well, Hibiki is a problem child, so I'm sure she causes difficulties for you, but please take care of her." Miku added, Hibiki gasping again.

"Wh-What? What's going on?!" Hibiki gasped, looking between Tsubasa and Miku wide eyed, Kyomei sighing yet again in response.

"Regarding you, I think those two are in agreement." Shinji chuckled.

"I think they were saying something mean." Hibiki grumbled.

"Ahh, if only Ritsudo was here to provide his trademark snarky remarks… we'd be having a ball at Hibiki's expense." Kyomei hummed, his head cocking to the side with a slight jerk to it giving an almost comedic air to the gesture.

"But, it's really kinda weird to be here with Miku." Hibiki hummed, a hand behind her head.

"The commander arranged things so that she can work here at the 2nd Division as an external agent." Tsubasa explained, a hand on her chin, "But still, it might be hard for her…"

"I've been given the explanation. I'm well aware. It isn't a problem." Miku replied, lightly shaking her head.

"Huh… come to think of it, where's Master? And Ritsu isn't here either!" Hibiki finally brought up the lack of presence of both the commander and the second Tuner, the blonde girl looking at Kyomei, who only shrugged.

"Ritsudo left a note he'd be out in his dorm room… and that was about it. When he does that, he can be gone for just a few hours to a couple _days."_ Kyomei stated, Hibiki gasping, "What?"

"A couple days?! Ritsu leaves for that long?! What does he do?" Hibiki asked, Kyomei shrugging again.

"I dunno… he never says a thing about it… agh, and just when he was starting to lighten up, he ups and vanishes on us again… I suppose old habits die hard." Kyomei sighed, a hand behind his head again.

"And we're looking for the commander too." Tsubasa added, "No luck there either."

"Oh, I see how it is? Girl talk?" The group looked behind them as Ryouko's voice carried over, the bespectacled woman approaching with her usual jaunty gait, Shinji sighing.

"I don't know where to start." Shinji murmured, "But for now, please don't just ignore me."

"Good luck with that Ogawa… I feel we men are about to fall to the wayside." Kyomei murmured, his eyes closed to match his flat tone, Sakuya nodding as he folded his arms.

"Do you also like stuff like that Ryouko-san?" Hibiki excitedly asked, Ryouko adjusting her glasses and giving a chuckle.

"Of course I do! Once you hear all my tales of romance, you won't be able to sleep at night!" Ryouko chuckled, leaning forward, Kyomei chuckling.

" _Why do I seriously doubt that?"_ Kyomei thought, flinching as Ryouko shot a narrow look his way as if she knew _exactly_ what the young man was thinking, a very fake whistle coming from Kyomei as he looked to the side to try and act innocent, Tsubasa stepping in front of him to boot.

"Sounds kind of scary." Miku quipped, while Hibiki on the other hand, looked completely thrilled.

"Ryouko-san's tales of romance?! I'm sure she's fallen for a rich gentleman, in a fancy bar!" Hibiki squirmed as she thought of the situation as excitedly as she tended to everything else, Tsubasa putting a hand on her forehead and sighing, Ryouko's glasses glinting.

"Hmm… it was a long, long time ago. Actually, I got really caught up in romance." Ryouko, Miku and Hibiki giving awed cheers.

"I'm surprised." Tsubasa flatly hummed, not _actually_ looking surprised, "I thought you would be more interested in research than romance."

"You know what they say: "Life is short, love!" And, the power of a young girl in love is amazing! Why, just look at the phonic gain Tsubasa and Kyomei put out when they Synchronize! It's incredible!" Ryouko chuckled, the two bluenettes blushing, Kyomei's glasses stilting on his face as he gave a chuckle, then slapping a hand over Shinji's mouth as the elder young man was about to speak.

"Ogawa-san, I don't think we want to trip any red flags… I know I'm the best at reading people, but I know danger when I sense it." Kyomei stated, Shinji nodding as Kyomei removed his hand, the two falling silent in the hopes of just being able to stay out of this one.

"The whole reason I started researching Relics was…" Ryouko trailed off as Hibiki and Miku stared at her in excited expectation for her to go own, the scientist giving a decidedly embarrassed chuckle and even showing a light blush, "W-Well… I'm busy, so I don't have time to talk! Anyway, to be a real woman, you must have a great romance! You two, be sure to fall in love with someone nice. Maybe someone like Kyomei here… just not as awkward…"

"HEY!"

"Okay, bye bye!" Ryouko turned on her hell and left with a wave, Kyomei making an irked noise at the comment about him, then giving an exasperated sigh, his hand meeting his face.

"We didn't get to hear it, huh?" Miku sighed, Hibiki nodding.

"She had her guard up. But, someday!" Hibiki gave a determined fist pump, chuckling yet again, "I'll get her to tell me about her romance!"

"Darn that woman…" Kyomei grumbled, rubbing his eyes from under his glasses, and when he moved his hand down, he couldn't help but blush as Tsubasa looked at him, the girl also going red in the face, Kyomei just sighing and sitting down in the nearby booth, the others taking seats as well, Shinji being the first to speak.

"The commander's not back yet as it is… and we haven't had any luck in finding Ritsudo-kun either." Shinji stated, a sigh of his own passing, Tsubasa nodding.

"I have the medical check report to give to the commander as well." Tsubasa hummed, Shinji checking his watch.

"We don't have much time before we have to leave."

"You have work already?!" Hibiki gasped, Kyomei glancing at Tsubasa, setting his tablet down on his knees.

"Just a little. For now, I'm taking it easy." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei chuckling.

"Good… you used to have a habit of overworking yourself." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa sighing, Kyomei tilting his head, obviously missing the hint to things.

"Then it wasn't as horrible as it was, right?" Hibiki asked, Kyomei noticing this glint in her eyes as she glanced between him and Tsubasa a few times… one that he wouldn't think she'd ever show as it stood. "Then we should go on a date! Wait, a double date! Because you and Kyomei-senpai haven't been on one yet, right?"

"Well, no, I mean… but that was for obvious reasons…" Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei notably seeming to clam up, only nodding, "I-I _was_ in the hospital until recently…"

"And now you're not, and off work. It seems like the perfect chance for a first date." Miku spoke up, giving a subtle thumbs up to Hibiki, who returned the gesture as Kyomei and Tsubasa glanced at each other, silent as they then glanced away.

"W-Well… maybe it's not such a bad idea…" Kyomei murmured, his hand behind his head, "It could… work out…"

"S-Sure… I-I mean, we'd have to at some point anyway!" Tsubasa cough into her hand, just as red in the face as Kyomri, Miku and Hibiki chuckling at the obvious attempts not to seem awkward about it all. "So… tomorrow?"

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere**_

"Here again? Huh…"

Genjuuro adjusted the umbrella in his hands, the rain pelting it like a drum in the downpour that broke away the day's earlier shunshine, the same apartment Ritsudo had previously fled too in his sight… and where he'd tracked Chris too.

But, as the man approached the entrance to the building, he stopped as he saw someone standing at the entrance as if waiting, a quick look through the slight fog of the rain revealing the figure to be Ritsudo, now pulling his hood down as he spotted Genjuuro.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up, Boss." Ritsudo hummed, pocketing his hands, Genjuuro sighing as he walked over to the boy, closing the umbrella, Ritsudo putting his arms behind his head.

"Ritsudo-kun, what are you doing here?" Genjuuro asked, Ritsudo giving him a "really?" expression.

"The same reason as you… I followed Chris because I wanna help her." Ritsudo stated, Genjuuro giving another sigh, "What? Should I not?"

"It's not that you _shouldn't…_ this is my responsibility. I failed to save that girl once, I won't again." Genjuuro firmly stated, Ritsudo giving a hum, entering ahead of the man anyway.

"I get it… this is about two years ago, when, just as she was brought back from a war zone, she got kidnapped again… and you were on the detail meant to bring her to the 2nd Div. since she was a Gear candidate, right?" Ritsudo asked, turning around on the stairs, Genjuuro giving a confused look at how he knew that, Ritsudo then tapping a thumb to his head, "We've synched… I've been in her head, and she's been in mind… so, I know how bad she's had it."

"But what of everything else? Actually… no, I'm sure you went and did some side research before coming here, didn't you?" Genjuuro asked, Ritsudo nodding, continuing up the stairs.

"Yeup. I looked into things like news reports and anything else pertaining to events from two years ago… but, also… I can't just leave this one alone either." Ritsudo stated, stopping at one of the floors, glancing around and taking a right, Genjuuro remembering the path, "After what I saw while we were synched, I can't just go and leave this be, Boss… it'd go against what I'm trying to change about me to do that. So, sorry sir, but, I'm going to go against orders a bit."

"I see… at least let me try and talk to her first. There might be a chance I can get through." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo sighing, the two stopping at a door, the very same one for the apartment Ritsudo himself had retreated too weeks ago.

"Alright… but if she gets snippy and tries to run off, I'm intervening... is that fine with you?" Ritsudo asked, Genjuuro nodding, giving a small grin at how instead of just a flat "I'm doing it anyway", Ritsudo had considered the options before him.

"That's fine… I may not succeed anyway, and if you and Chris-kun have Synchronized… then it's likely she'd trust you, but, for now, we can't be sure. So, let the adult take the lead for once."

"Was doing that."

Genjuuro chuckled as he opened the door and entered first, Ritsudo lightly following to not make noise while Genjuuro's heavy footsteps made audible creaking noises, and shuffling from the only open door clued them in on someone's presence, Genjuuro moving to the door and thrusting the bag in his hands through, Ritsudo having to crane his neck to see a surprised Chris staring at the plastic bag.

"Here you go." Genjuuro stated, quickly entering the room as Chris' glare followed him, "I haven't brought anyone with me. I'm alone."

" _Well, technically he's not lying… I came here of my own accord."_ Ritsudo gave a barely audible chuckle as he leaned against the wall opposite where Chris could have possibly seen him as she peered out to be safe, then moving to where he could easily see into the room to watch, Chris raising her fists as he held her glare, Genjuuro as calm as he usually was about things.

"I'm the only one left who's still under orders to find you." Genjuuro sat down, fishing through the bags for the contents, Chris remaining wary.

"How did you find this place?" Chris demanded, Ritsudo rolling his eyes.

" _Because he's the Japanese equivalent of a CIA super spy."_ Ritsudo kept the quip in his head, but it was rather tempting to say it aloud… but as he was now, it was far easier to hold back his tendency to blurt out his remarks on a whim than it had been before.

"I used to work for Public Safety. I'm used to doing this. You aren't the first I've had to track down." Genjuuro answered, holding up one of the bags after checking the items one more time, "Something to eat."

 _Grrrooowwww…._

Ritsudo had to avoid giving a chuckle at the very audibly growl coming from Chris' stomach, the girl struggling to hold her glare under the tension breaking noise, Genjuuro giving a small hum, pulling out one of the food items and taking a bite from it, holding it to Chris, the intent obvious.

"It hasn't been poisoned." Genjuuro stated, Chris letting out a his before swiping the bun from his the man's hand, keeping on fist raised and a wary eye as she dug into it. "The violinist, Yukine Masanori, and his wife, the singer, Sonnet M. Yukine, were working for an NGO that helped war refugees when they were killed in a civil war eight years ago. Their only daughter went missing. After that, the UN's intervention in Val Verde changed the ground situation dramatically. The girl was found captured by a local gang, and rescued. And, she was brought back to Japan."

As Genjuuro relayed the story, one Ritsudo almost wished he _didn't_ know the finer details behind due to how harsh it truly was, the man kept testing and passing more of the foodstuff with him to Chris, the girl chuckling through a mouthful.

"Huh, you've done your research!" Chris scoffed, slightly muffled from the mouthful of bread and filling, taking a swig of the milk passed to her, scoffing again as she stared Genjuuro down, "It makes me sick to be investigated like that."

"At the time, we were keeping an eye on top musicians, to find people capable of wielding Symphogears." Genjuuro continued, clearly unfazed with the short girls attempt at looking tough again, not that it was hard to achieve, as Ritsudo _wanted_ to quip at, but wouldn't out of his respect for the man speaking, "We made an offer to take in the orphan."

"Hmph, so you were going to be my pimp too?" Chris bitterly scoffed, Ritsudo's look shifting from clearly keeping himself held back, to bitter in it's own right, sad even as he glanced at the girl from his hiding spot.

"But, right after returning to Japan, the girl vanished." Genjuuro continued on past the comment from the embittered girl in front of him, glancing over at Ritsudo, the white-haired boy shifting away out of view, "We panicked. The 2nd Division dispatched many agents to search, but most of those who were involved died. Or, even worse, they went missing without a trace."

"What's your point old man?!" Chris snapped, the girl clearly annoyed by the tale.

"I want to save you." Genjuuro responded, Chris raising a brow, "It's the duty of adults to finish the jobs they're given."

"The duty of adults huh? No one asked you!" Chris snapped, "Why don't adults ever do anything I ask of them?!"

"Then maybe if you won't listen to an adult, you'll listen to a kid?" Ritsudo tapped on the door frame, Chris halting in her move to dash away, the girl glancing around as Ritsudo entered, the girl glaring, then looking at Genjuuro, "Relax, he didn't bring me here. I came here by myself. The boss and I just happened to run into each other."

"Peh, what the hell do _you_ want?!" Chris growled.

"Ritsudo… the name is Narukami Ritsudo. I never told you." Ritsudo stated, Chris growling as she stepped back. "And what I want, simply put, is to help you."

"Ehh?" Chris muttered, looking even more annoyed than before. "And why would you want to do _that?"_

"Well, not that I have a good, justifiable reason too… I want to help you because I just do, no other reason. Besides… we _both_ know more about each other than we would under normal circumstances." Ritsudo relied, tapping one of his temples with a couple fingers, Chris looking to the side.

"Don't remind me." Chris grumbled.

"So you wanna be civil about this… or not?" Ritsudo stated, Chris looking between the boy and Genjuuro, clicking her tongue.

"Tch… screw both of you! You're just spouting bullshit!" Chris snapped, Genjuuro shooting up as she shot to the balcony door, crashing through it tucked into a ball as she dove through.

" _Killiter Ichaival tron!"_

Ritsudo gave a growl as he ran out onto the balcony, Chris' armor donning and the girl leaping off in seconds, Ritsudo pulling out his pendant, though before he did anything, Genjuuro put a hand on his shoulders.

"Ritsudo-kun, do you think chasing after her would be for the best?" Genjuuro inquired, Ritsudo giving a nod.

"I do… I told you, I can't leave her alone… no, I _refuse_ to leave that girl alone!" Ritsudo replied, already stepping onto the railing, "Not after what I've learned… someone like her… like I said, I'd be going against who I'm trying to become if I did!"

"Right… alright then, I'll leave this one to you. Good luck." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo nodding, standing up, letting himself fall back from the railing, clenching his pendant and shutting his eyes.

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

Ritsudo spun in the air as his armor was donned, launching off one of the others rails, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of Chris, quickly managing to catch up with her, the girl standing on a telephone pole, Ritsudo somewhat glad the rain was obscuring Noise… though not like his plan was too approach quietly.

Rather, Ritsudo shot into the air, aiming right at Chris as he shot a dive kick right at her back, his foot impacting cleanly and sending Chris flying to the ground, Ritsudo skidding to a stop as the girl got to her feet, looking at Ritsudo with a glare, both teens having rain matting their hair where their helmet segments didn't cover and running down their faces.

"OWWW! What the hell kind of entrance is that?!" Chris snapped, rubbing her back where Ritsudo's foot had been, "Geez… should've known you'd follow me…"

"Sorry, but I always wanted to do that, and the chance was too perfect. Besides, if I'd just come up quietly and said "Hey, can we talk?" you'd just run off!" Ritsudo replied, Chris drawing her crossbows in preparation for a fight, Ritsudo sighing, "Besides… I'm not here to fight you."

"HUH?" Chris raised a brow, Ritsudo placing his sword at his back, a small swirl appearing around the hilt and keeping it in place, the girl readying to fire, but, Chris' aim started to shake as her finger hovered over the trigger, Ritsudo's expression steady, calm despite the fact he had five energy bolts aimed right at him.

And then Chris lowered her weapon, the crossbow returning to the gauntlet form.

"Dammit!" Chris snapped, her hands balling into fists, "Why?! Why can't I pull the trigger on you?!"

"Maybe because, like I said, you've been in my head… you know as much about me as I do you, Chris." Ritsudo stated, again tapping a thumb to the side of his head, Chris giving a growl to the statement, "I get it, you don't want to trust people again, it hurts to think about it, right?"

"And why should I?! Why should I trust anyone, why should I trust that guy, why should I trust _you?!_ Why do I _want to?!"_ Chris shouted, Ritsudo lowering his arm, Chris putting her hands on her head, looking at the wet ground, "I don't get it… you're so damn _infuriating,_ but I don't hate you. No, I _can't…_ I want to but I can't! Grgh, and how we met doesn't even make sense! At first you some sarcasm slinging jerk who didn't seem to care, but then I see you smiling and being so nice it hurts! How the heck can someone be both?!"

"Because I'm trying to change and grow… then again, I think you know that one." RItsudo stated, Chris bitterly scoffing.

"People _don't_ change!" Chris snapped, forming her crossbow again, but her arm froze as she aimed it, "People _can't_ change! It's all a bunch of shit! Yeah, they can act, but nobody really actually changes?"

"Really?" Ritsudo asked, tilting his head to the side, "Because just a few days ago, I don't think you'd have hesitated to shoot at me with those crossbows of yours… and now you can't even put your finger on the trigger if I'm in the way."

"So?! That doesn't…"

"Yes, it _does_ mean something." Ritsudo stated, starting to walk forward, "You _did_ say you want to trust me, right? So just put the crossbow down, and we'll talk it out."

"GET BACK!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo stopping right in front of the crossbow, the weapon just touching the chest plate of his armor, Chris' finger twitching at the trigger, but not touching it in the slightest, "Don't you get it?! I'll shoot you, right here! That armor won't stop it if you're this close!"

"I don't think you will. You _did_ say couldn't pull the trigger on me." Ritsudo stated, shaking his head, Chris gritting her teeth, the only sound being the rain pelting the ground as the two fell silent.

With a soft noise, the crossbow again reverted into it's gauntlet form, Chris lowering her arm, her hands balling into fists again as she stared at the drenched road.

"This doesn't make any sense… we've barely even known each other for a day… but that damn synch… dammit, I wouldn't feel like this if we hadn't done that!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo standing calm as she looked up, the rain barely masking the tears in her eyes, "But I do… dammit! Why you?! Why someone like me, who had their parents stolen by this rotten world?! Why do you want to protect it, to save people?!"

"Says the girl who just wants war to stop." Ritsudo replied, putting a hand on Chris' head and giving a soft smile, "And… because I don't want anyone else to end up like me… to have their lives go to hell because the people they loved become just another number or name on a list… I realized a long time ago I didn't have a purpose… but I do now… but to do that, I have to change… no, I _want_ to change."

"And how the hell are you gonna do that huh?!" Chris snapped, swatting Ritsudo's hand away, the boy simply smiling, an eye closed.

"By actually making do with the hand I've been dealt. I may not be able to go back to the cheerful idiot I used to be as a kid… but it doesn't mean I can't be kind again… for every fight I get into, for every Noise I defeat, I want to give that much kindness back as best as I can." Ritsudo stated, Chris scoffing. "Look… I get that this world isn't a nice place… kindhearted fools get shoved down as soon as they try to do something… but, this is different… you and I, we have powers few others have… and a way to communicate with others in a way they'll listen with _more_ than just their ears."

"What are you getting at?" Chris muttered, Ritsudo chuckling.

"I'm saying I'm not doing this for some ulterior motive or some unpleasant reason… I just want to help you… and I'd like to think you know that." Ritsudo stated, Chris looking to the side, and in a flash of movement, Ritsudo whipped out his sword, next Chris saw, ash flying opposite of her, the girl looking back to see Ritsudo standing with the fading remnants of a Noise stuck to his sword, the rain washing the ashes away, the two looking around as the creatures began milling out onto the streets, "Tch… these things always seem to show up at the least opportune moments don't they?"

"Fine by me, I need to blow off some steam anyway!" Chris snapped, bringing out her crossbows, aiming them with bolts ready, Ritsudo sighing as he took a stance.

"We're not done talking about this." Ritsudo stated, Chris looking back at him with a glare, then back at the Noise.

"Yeah whatever." Chris retorted, Ritsudo shaking his head, his visor sliding into place.

"Hehe, tonight's gonna be a _long_ night."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Worth it. It was a slower chapter to do, but, so very very worth it! Now, on with some more light hearted bits… granted at the point it's a shame it won't last terribly long. Ahh, but such is life and drama. Onwards!**


	11. Stanza XI

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XI: Rinnovato Melodia**

"Either I got here early or everyone else is late…"

Kyomei sighed as he leaned back on the railing of the small bridge in the park that would be the meeting place for the admittedly weird date that day… one he'd spent the entire previous night agonizing over and having no idea what he'd even do to go about it. Not to mention some kind of outfit.

In the end though, he'd gone with his gut and settled on a casual short sleeved button down over an athletic shirt, a non-worn out pair of jeans, and his usual pair of sneakers, while his head had a light blue and black cap on it, which had a silver buckle on its strap. Overall, nothing he felt was too formal or casual for something like this.

"Ugh… I'm being too antsy with this." Kyomei sighed, tugging at the brim of his cap to keep it more secure, checking the time on his phone one more time before pocketing it, "Yeah… I got here early… ugh… hope this doesn't make me look like I'm anxious or anything."

"Anxious about what?"

"AAGH?!"

Kyomei yelped and shot towards the voice that spoke, his eyes going even wider as he saw it was Tsubasa who'd snuck up on him.

"What?" Tsubasa raised a brow as she noticed Kyomei scanning her over, "Do you… not like my outfit?"

"EH?! N-No, it's not that it's just uh…" Kyomei murmured, a hand behind his head. Truth was, he actually did like the ensemble Tsubasa chose: A rather snazzy ensemble of a blue and white shirt combination, short shorts, and white thigh-highs with black shoes, a white cap on her head, "I just uh… realized you seem pretty enthusiastic about this is all!"

"EH? I… I just want to make up for time someone lost is all!" Tsubasa stated, Kyomei chuckling in an odd manner.

" _How much should I bet she spent all night fretting over what to wear like I was?"_ Was the thought that accompanied Kyomei's small bit of laughter.

" _I can't let him know I spent all night trying to pick an outfit and only settled on this one randomly!"_ Tsubasa cleared her throat, "Either way, what are Tachibana and Kohinata up to that's taking so long?"

"1000 yen that Hibiki slept in." Kyomei chuckled, Tsubasa giving him a look, both then laughing at the very likely true thought, the two then looking over when they heard panting, and coming in hot were Hibiki and Miku running at full speed, both stopping and panting to catch their breath.

"I'm sorry, Tsubasa-san, Kyomei-san!" Hibiki shouted, Tsubasa sighing.

"You're late!" Tsubasa replied.

"I'm so sorry…" Miku panted, "I'm sure you've guessed, but Hibiki overslept again…"

"Ha!" Kyomei chuckled, Tsubasa giving him an amused look, while Hibiki and Miku looked over the idol's chosen ensemble.

"There isn't much time, let's hurry." Tsubasa turned and proceeded along, Kyomei sighing.

"You can be more casual about this Tsubasa. It's not like we're on that tight of a schedule today." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes but the concert is soon and I'd like to be punctual with all of it!"

"Right right… forgot about that for a moment."

"They make such a cute pair!" Hibiki chuckled, the two bluenettes shooting around with a red tint in their faces, Miku giggling.

"Yes, they certainly do!"

"CAN WE GET ON WITH THIS ALREADY?!" Kyomei shouted, his face far redder than Tsubasa's.

* * *

If there was one simple word Kyomei had to use to describe his experience over this date, he'd choose "befuddled."

All the wandering around at the random shops in the mall left him confused, at least until they went to a bookstore and a music store, since he was able to purchase the latest album from one of his favorite artists. As for the movie, while the girls had gotten emotional over it and found it touching, Kyomei found it bland and completely missed any sort of emotional impact. Then again, he wasn't the type for romance movies, seeing as he found them inaccurate to how an actual relationship would likely go.

Which in truth was only built off of his own assumptions since until now he'd always been single.

Though there was when the girls went and tried on clothes… Hibiki wouldn't leave Kyomei alone about the face he had after seeing Tsubasa in a sundress until they went to the arcade, much to the poor boys embarrassment.

"I will acquire for you that plushie that you want, Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki declared, the group in front of one of the many crane machines, her eyes set on one particular plush doll Tsubasa had pointed out.

"I hope you do, but aren't you a bit too serious about this?" Tsubasa inquired, Hibiki scanning her phone over the pay slot and slamming down on the button, giving an enthusiastic screech that made Miku cover her ears while Tsubasa and Kyomei looked more impressed with her manic drive to win.

"You don't have to scream like that!" Miku complained, the crane moving, grabbing the plush… and failing, HIbiki gasping in shock.

"This UMA Capture is broken! I think I'm cursed!" Hibiki lamented, Kyomei then moving her aside and cracking his knuckles.

"Allow a pro to handle this one! Hehe, I've played these crane games for years and never lost once!" Kyomei then swiped his phone for a turn, eyeing the plush Tsubasa wanted and where the crane arm was, smirking as he guided it with careful moves of the buttons, "Annnnd… THERE!"

Kyomei slammed the drop button, the girls tense as they watched the crane descend on the plush, seemingly off mark as the arms closed down… one of the arms then getting caught on the tag of the plush, Kyomei fist pumping as the doll was lifted up, Hibiki's jaw dropping as she watched it proceed, the doll neatly sliding off of the arm as it jammed open.

"No way… how did you know it'd get hooked on the tag?!" Hibiki asked, Tsubasa kneeling down and retrieving the doll.

"Hehe, it's a trick a friend of mine taught me way back. If the doll is in the right spot, then you can hook the tag on and arm, and it won't drop until it opens even if it slips." Kyomei stated, giving a proud chuckle.

"I remember seeing Koto teach you that trick when we were kids. Though… Koto is the kind of person who has so much luck you'd think the Gods of Fortune were always watching him." Tsubasa chuckled, nestling the doll in her arms, Kyomei nodding to her statement.

"So, where to now?" Kyomei asked.

"Oh, I have the perfect idea! A place where Hibiki can do all the screaming she wants on top of it." Miku stated, Kyomei snickering at the remark.

" _Oh if Ritsudo were here… I think he and Kohinata would be seeing who could out sarcasm the other."_ Kyomei mused to himself, "So, lemme guess, karaoke right?"

* * *

"This is great! We're great!"

Hibiki cheered as she spun around the karaoke room the group had gone too, Tsubasa already sliding through the list of songs, Kyomei looking at the equipment in the room.

"Hmm, this place is top notch." Kyomei hummed, a hand on his chin, _"Not like I really go out anywhere… I don't have a lot of friends at school and I'm always so busy with 2_ _nd_ _Div. work I rarely make time to hang out with anyone."_

He realized such a thought was actually kind of sad in the long run.

"We get to sing karaoke with a famous singer!" Hibiki cheered, Miku only nodding as her friend shook her in her excitement, the room then darkening all of a sudden, Kyomei, Miku, and Hibiki raising brows as what was definitely an _enka_ guitar started up, their eyes turning to Tsubasa, who was already grabbing one of the microphones and taking center stage.

As expected.

"I've always wanted to sing this." Tsubasa said, Kyomei sliding onto the seats.

"How mature!" Miku awed, Tsubasa clearing her throat as she raised the microphone to her lips and began.

 _ **What have you done to my lips?  
You have taught them the taste of sin.  
You are a horrible person…**_

" _If I had to place a word to this… mature, like Kohinata said. Tsubasa's voice suits enka surprisingly well."_ Kyomei observed… yet he felt this crawling feeling up the back of his spine, something about the song just filling him with dread… Miku and Hibiki certainly noticed, as it seemed Kyomei was draining of color completely as the song continued… granted they were also in complete awe at the performance as well.

 _ **Now if you ever betray me,  
I shall tear you apart with a blade of hatred!**_

" _I's just a song it's just a song it's just a song it's just a song."_ Kyomei felt his thoughts going on repeat, his sense of common reason clashing with his tendency to be literal about things… needless to say, when Tsubasa was finished, it seemed he was in no condition to sing at all…

* * *

"Uhhh… I need to get into better shape…"

Kyomei let out a groan of exhaustion as he collapsed to his knees, just one more small flight away from the outlook the group had gone too, Tsubasa panting herself, but still standing as opposed.

"How do you two…. Have so much energy?" Tsubasa asked, looking up at Hibiki and Miku, the two younger girls already near the railing of the overlook, a rather perfect view with the setting sun painting the sky a smoldering red.

"You're too out of shape!" Hibiki mused, Kyomei waving an arm.

"They've been trying new things all day." Miku stated.

"I'm a… marksman… being in… that much of a physical condition… isn't a priority!" Kyomei panted, pulling himself up the last few steps with some help from Tsubasa, leaning against the railings to keep himself standing, "Thank you…"

"I'm a protector… I've spent my whole life on the battlefield." Tsubasa murmured, leaning next to Kyomei to catch her breath, looking around at the overlook and the area around them, a soft smile showing on her face, "Today, I feel I've gotten to know a whole new world."

"Hehehe… that's not true. You were always living in the same world as us." Kyomei stated, holding onto the rail and pulling back to stretch out, Hibiki nodding to his words, "I mean, just look at all of this!"

Kyomei pulled Tsubasa over to the view directly, the girl's eyes widening at the full view of the city splayed out before them, the buildings like a foreground on the amber and violet ocean created by the setting sun.

"Every last bit of it, from the places we went to, the places we met the others, and even the places we didn't go to, all of it is part of one big open world!" Kyomei stated, stretching his arms out, "And… I think the best part is, all of us are fighting to defend it, so everyone can live in this wonderful world!"

"I agree!" Hibiki nodded, "Sure, there are some people who have it bad, people like Ritsu who have to struggle to try and find their way… but that's why we do fight, so that people can live in this world, so don't say you don't know it!"

Tsubasa looked between the two of them, then back out at the sunset, thinking herself on it… remembering.

" _I think that, behind the battle, or on the other side of it, there might be something else. That's what I've always thought, and what I've always seen."_ Kanade's words flashed through her mind.

"I see… so this is the world Kanade saw." Tsubasa hummed, Kyomei giving a light chuckle, leaning on the rails again.

"And… I want to save Koto." Kyomei stated, leaning on his arms, "I want to save him, so he can see this world again, the world Kanade died protecting… I don't want him to feel sad anymore." Kyomei pulled out the other pendant in his pocket, holding it up to the sun, the light refracting through the blue gem, "Even if he's under someone's control right now… I know he's in there, fighting his own battle. So… I want to protect this world, so that when I save Koto, he'll be able to see just how much better it's become thanks to our hard work… but… I want him to see people smiling from your songs, Tsubasa."

"Eh?" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei spinning the chain on the Relic and clasping it in his hands.

"But most of all… when he gets back, I want him to see us smiling. All of us, me you, and our new friends. I want to tell him we're boyfriend and girlfriend, introduce him to Ritsudo and Hibiki… but, most of all, I want to help him continue on, even if Kanade isn't with us anymore." Kyomei continued, "So that's why… I want to stay by your side, I want to keep fighting, with all of you! At least… at least until I save Koto, until we finally stop the Noise."

"That's some ominous wording…" Miku added.

"I-It's not like I'm trying to trigger a death flag or something!" Kyomei yelped, his face getting red a bit, "It's just… I don't want Tsubasa to be the only one protecting people! If you're a sentinel Tsubasa, then I want to be a vanguard!"

"A vanguard?" Hibiki hummed.

"Someone who leads the way." Miku stated, Hibiki giving a hum of realization.

"I know I'm not the best at fighting at the front… but that's why I want to get stronger than I am now." Kyomei stated, "So that way… so that way we won't lose anyone again. And not just as a fighter… I want to get strong enough to understand people more…"

"Hmhm… you're so kind." Tsubasa hummed, Kyomei blinking, "Kind, and gentle… you care so much about everyone around you, and you've always tried to help no matter what… I'm sad that I can't say the same. But… I think what you want to do is admirable. A vanguard who leads the charge, and a sentinel who holds the line… I find it fitting."

"Tsubasa…" Kyomei murmured, Hibiki and Miku covering smirks off at the back.

"So romantic!" Hibiki mused.

"Indeed!" Miku chuckled.

"We can hear you!" Kyomei and Tsubasa snapped, the moment then stopping and all four laughing. A rare moment of peaceful mirth in their chaotic lives… they knew couldn't last forever, but, they hoped it would anyway…

* * *

"Heh… the last time I was back here, it was two years ago… and I was reading _"No Longer Human"_ waiting for the show."

Kyomei humme as he clapped his book shut in the backstage area of the familiar arena. What had been the site of the disaster two years ago, was where Tsubasa would be having her comeback concert.

"And now I'm here two years later, this time reading _"Rashomon"_ by Akutagawa." Kyomei mused, pocketing the book in his jacket, stepping off of the crate he'd been sitting on, "Hm… but this time, I don't have a bad feeling about anything… I know things are going to go well here."

"Kyomei!"

Kyomei turned at the call, adjusting his glasses as they slipped a bit, Tsubasa approaching at a brisk pace, her outfit for the concert being a striking blue in color, a fitting ensemble for such a calm person.

"W-Wow… that looks really nice on you." Kyomei murmured, Tsubasa twirling a bit.

"Thank you." Tsubasa stated, then looking down a bit, "Are you really okay? With what happened here…"

"Of course! I'm more concerned how you feel though. I mean… it's the same stage that… y'know."

"Yes… where my last performance with Kanade was. But, I actually like this. It puts me at ease, knowing I can start repairing my mistakes starting from here." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei blinking, a soft smile showing as he relaxed, "But… you know… after this, I might just end up performing outside of the country."

"Well… if that's the case, then I'll just follow you every step of the way." Kyomei stated, giving a nod as Tsubasa looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, I'll do just that. I could be something like your manager, seeing as Ogawa is your producer."

"Hehe… did you even think about it that much?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei nodding.

"I've been thinking about it for a while actually. I just know that, wherever you go… I want to be there, standing right beside you and watching you shine." Kyomei replied, Tsubasa's face going red for a moment, but she looked pleased with it.

"You say you don't get people… but you're surprisingly good with words, you know that?" Tsubasa mused, Kyomei scratching his cheek.

"Ehehe, really?"

"Yes, really."

"Heh, alright." Kyomei chuckled, tapping Tsubasa on the shoulder, "Well, all I've gotta say is go out there and make 'em yell!"

"A tap on the shoulder?" Tsubasa sighed, Kyomei tilting his head, then yelping when Tsubasa bent forward and lightly kissed him, leaving him stunned for a moment, the girl shying away a bit, "I know we have to keep it a secret… but I am your girlfriend. You can be a bit bolder when no one is watching."

"Eh? EHHHH?!"

"No, not 'eh?'…. hagh, you never do change." Tsubasa mused, "Well, I'll see you after the concert!"

"Y-Yeah…" Kyomei murmured, putting a couple fingers at his lips, "AGH! Right, I'm up at the booth to watch this!"

* * *

"Geez… that girl knows how to cover her tracks… tch, dammit, why the hell did she run off?!" Ritsudo scanned around at the skyline of the city again, the lights from the concert arena aiding his sight, and he clicked his tongue when he saw an explosion rise at the harbor area, "So _that's_ where you are! Heh, good thing Boss already gave that Noise alert!"

* * *

Kyomei took his seat up in the booth just as the music began, the spot lights focusing on Tsubasa as she entered the stage, Kyomei watching intently as she rose the microphone to her mouth.

"Alright then… blow them away Tsubasa." Kyomei hummed, setting his headphones to the side so he could focus _only_ on Tsubasa's voice as she began singing, the melody echoing through the stadium as the crowd cheered her on.

 _ **A sensation like déjà vu, a platonic love like a restraint.  
I'm wishing that our overlapping memories are reaching you.  
It's like we were drawn to each other by gravity without a single millimeter of distance.  
This song shot in the very center of my heart.**_

It was different now. Kyomei had seen it in all Tsubasa's lives before now. There wasn't that same energy she'd had before when Kanade was with her. It _seemed_ like there was, but at that time, Tsubasa had considered everything a formality, a job to be done as part of her duties.

" _But now… she's back. The lively, happy Tsubasa I remember from those stages is back."_ Kyomei thought, his smile spreading wider.

* * *

Following the sound of gunfire and explosions made the search easier for Ritsudo as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop in his armor, a white streak across the skyline as he leapt about, reaching the docks in no time thanks to the speed his Symphogear offered him, drawing his sword and slashing at the first Noise he came across on his way down, rather neatly landing in front of Chris, the girl faced with not only a horde of Noise, but a massive, fortress like construct aiming it's weapons at them.

"Narukami?! What are you doing here?!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo sighing, turning around, his free hand slamming down on Chris' head, "OW!"

"IDIOT! What the hell was with that, running off again out of nowhere without a word over the next few days?! Geez, do you know how worried I was?! I spent all this time looking for you!" Ritsudo snapped, Chris showing a surprised look as the boy let out a growling sigh, spinning his sword around as he faced the Noise, a segment of his left gauntlet shooting out, turning into a near identical sword to the hand in his right, only smaller, more like a wakizashi, which he flipped into a reverse grip.

"You were… looking for me?"

"Yeah, I was. I told you, I'm not going to just leave you wandering around alone." Ritsudo stated, barring his swords at the Noise, ready to block as an attack came his way, though the shots were intercepted by none other than Hibiki, coming in with a diving kick that crashed through the attacking Noise, Ritsudo chuckling as the girl crashed down, "Heh, well, looks like the cavalry arrived!"

* * *

 _ **Embrace me... With this sin...  
We shall make a promise as our hands entwine.  
Please, my star... Somehow, now...  
Ah, play the wind of traveling wings.**_

The crowds cheering escalated as Tsubasa's voice did, Kyomei tapping his foot along to the beat as the song carried through, only feeling more impressed by the moment.

 _ **Now, it's starting! This starting symphony will become a legend from here on out.  
This live concert of light is our synchronicity.  
Now, let's make an amazing miracle happen. We just have to at least touch it.  
I'm sure it's a story as simple as that. Believe in my road.**_

* * *

Hibiki wasted no time in attacking, pulling one of her gauntlets back and dashing forward with light at her hands, cutting down the swarm of Noise with one move, Ritsudo slashing at the remainders and the Noise the fortress launched to attack him, skidding to a stop on the same side of it as Hibiki, and as they were ready to counter the next volley, the shots were blown out of the air by Chris' chain guns, the white haired girl leaping up and away with a spin.

"Now we're even!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo and Hibiki nodding, then merely glancing at each other and forming a plan, Hibiki pulling her gauntlet into a ready position again, yelling as she leapt into the air and slammed back onto the ground, a wave shooting through the ground and upsetting it, causing the fortress Noise to tile.

"Ritsu!" Hibiki shouted, pulling her other fist back, Ritsudo leaping forward, Hibiki slamming it onto his feet and sending him flying with a burst, Ritsudo swinging both swords, black blades of energy fanning out behind him as he slashed, the cannons on the fortress noise all being cut clean off by every blade he summoned.

"Dammit, that's not enough to clear the boss huh?!" Ritsudo clicked his tongue as he skid to a stop, groaning in annoyance as more regular Noise poured out of the fortress' gates, "You are fucking kidding me… this thing can call out flunkies?!"

* * *

The arena was silent as the song became softer again, but, there was a tension there, one waiting to come out and explode outwards, Kyomei felt it, and he was sure Tsubasa could feel it was well… she was practically emanating it herself.

And, the urge to join in on the singing was too great for Kyomei to resist… thankfully, he had the booth to himself.

 _ **Now, it's starting! This starting symphony will become a legend from here on out.  
This live concert of light is our synchronicity.  
Now, let's make an amazing miracle happen. We just have to at least touch it.  
I'm sure it's a story as simple as that. Believe in my road.**_

All of that tension was released in that final verse, Kyomei throwing up an arm as Tsubasa did, falling back in his seat and laughing.

* * *

The freshly summoned Noise were cut down by Chris shooting by and raking her guns across them, Ritsudo and Hibiki both readying attacks and launching forward, fist and blade colliding on opposite ends of the fortress Noise and blowing it clean away, Ritsudo and Hibiki landing beside each other in the middle of the fading ash, both letting out a laugh and shooting around, slapping a high five together in the face of the win for them.

* * *

"HAHAHA! Yes! That was awesome!" Kyomei cheered, kicking about in joy, calming down quickly as he leaned forward.

"Thank you, everyone!" Tsubasa's voice rang through the stadium, everyone listening intently as the girl spoke, "It was wonderful to once again put all I have into my song!" The crowds roaring cheers held her for a moment, Tsubasa smiling nonetheless despite the commotion, "I haven't felt this way in a long time. I'd forgotten it. But now, I remember! I remember how much I love to sing! I love singing for all of you!"

Kyomei smiled softly at the words being said, silently continuing to watch, catching Tsubasa glancing up where he was, the girl's smile widening as she caught sight of him even as far up as he was.

"I'm sure you know this, but I've been given an offer to sing overseas. I've never been sure why I sing. But now, I think I want even more people to hear me." Tsubasa continued on, looking around the entire crowd, "Even if we can't understand each other's words, if we can communicate through music, I want people all over the world to hear my songs!"

More cheers through the entire crowd, Kyomei clapping himself to all of it, beaming in his own right.

"Believing that my songs could help someone, I've sung for you all." Tsubasa stated, holding the microphone in both her hands now, "But from now on, I want to sing within you! Because I love singing so much! I know it's a selfish request, but I'd like you to listen. I want you to forgive me."

" _I forgive you. Of course I do."_

Kyomei gasped as he heard the voice, _Kanade's voice,_ reply to Tsubasa, and he let out a small chuckle, wiping his eyes off.

"Hey… Kanade, if you're here and listening, please… tell Koto, we'll see him real soon! And, tell him I want to help, no matter how hard it is!" Kyomei asked, stopping when, for just a moment, he swore he felt someone ruffling his hair, even though he knew he was alone up in the booth, but, despite it, he still smiled, "Thank you, Kanade… thank you, for forgiving Tsubasa."

* * *

"Ahh man, boss cleared, but I don't even feel tired!" Ritsudo sighed, his swords reverting and locking down on his gauntlets, sighing when he saw no sign of Chris, "Agh… damn that girl, I spend all this time tracking her down and she just runs off as soon as the fight is done again?! Why is she even running?!"

"Uh, Ritsu?" Hibiki tapped Ritsudo shoulder, the boy glancing back, "You've been trying to find Chris-chan this entire time?"

"Ehe… yeah, ever since that Noise attack a few days ago. Tch, Boss and I found her a couple days ago, but then she ran off. I caught up to her and we talked, but then as soon as the Noise that found us were gone, she just flew off! Ugh… well, no doubt she's tired, I'm positive she hasn't gone far." Ritsudo stated, folding his arms, glancing at Hibiki as she chuckled, "What?"

"Nothing, it's just, you sound like a concerned older brother!" Hibiki giggled, Ritsudo putting a hand on the back of his head.

"I guess so huh? Yeah… that fits… I guess I am an older brother… one chasing after his rowdy little sister." Ritsudo chuckled, "Well, I'll find her and bring her back alright? I'll see you at school once I do, sound cool?"

"Totally! Oh, I've gotta tell you all about Kyomei and Tsubasa's first date! Miku and I tagged along, and I got _all_ the juicy details!" Hibiki snickered, Ritsudo laughing as he bumped fists with Hibiki.

"Then you and Kohinata are gonna have to tell me all about it once I get back! Tell Boss I'll call him once I've gotten Chris someplace safe will ya?"

"Will do! See ya' later!"

Ritsudo nodded as he jumped off, Hibiki waving as he left the area, and as Ritsudo had predicted, Chris hadn't gotten far, the twinge he felt from Kusanagi telling him the signal wave from the Ichaival had cut off nearby.

"Good, just tell me where it cut off and I'll search there!" Ritsudo nodded, a twinge coming in reply, and he could feel where to go as he moved, eventually finding himself at an alleyway, and he dismissed his armor as he descended to the ground, putting a hand on his hips as he scanned around, sighing as he heard telltale grumbling, "Chris! I know you're around here, come on out!"

"Why the _hell_ are you following me?!" Chris shouted, shakily standing up, Ritsudo sighing as he approached.

"Because like I told you, I wanna help you out." Ritsudo stated, "Besides, you said you trusted me."

"That's the problem!" Chris screamed, sinking to her knees again, "I don't _want to!_ I told you that, I don't want to, but I do! Dammit… just, _dammit!_ I know it was wrong, running off like I did just ruined everything I said in response… but what else was I supposed to do?!"

"You could've come with me." Ritsudo stated, Chris blinking, and he bent down, giving a soft, genuine smile at her, "Me and my friends are good people, we just want to help you Chris. You don't have to be scared to trust people anymore."

"Do you think some dumb words are gonna convince me?!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo shaking his head.

"No… but I know I already did." Ritsudo stated, again patting Chris on the head, and despite an attempt, she didn't object to the affectionate gesture, "So come on, I'm not gonna up and let you wander around the streets all night again."

"What?!" Chris yelped, Ritsudo standing up, stretching out a hand, the girl pausing and staring.

"Just follow me alright? It'll be way safer than out here." Ritsudo stated, smiling again, "Don't worry. I've got no tricks up my sleeve. You do trust me, am I right?"

"Ugh… I do. I don't wanna admit it, but yeah." Chris begrudingly muttered, taking Ritsudo's hand, the boy pulling her up.

"Good. Then let's go, before some more Noise decide to show up again."

"Ugh… fine."

"Good girl."

"HEY!"

"Hehehehe."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Whooo, another fun chapter! Ah boy did I enjoy this one a ton! Kehehehe, and the plot thickens further in it's own ways! See ya' next time! And for reference, the songs used were both from the Symphogear OST,** _ **Koi no Okehazama**_ **and** _ **FLIGHT FEATHERS**_ **in that order.**


	12. Stanza XII

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XII: Crescendo to Sonata**

"Why the heck did you drag me to the school?"

"Because it's the safest place around here that's why."

"I could beg to differ."

"Hey, you said you'd let me help you. Would it kill you to cut with being tsun for five minutes?"

"Maybe."

Ritsudo sighed as he undid the lock on his dorm, Chris looking around as he flicked on the lights to reveal the tidy living space… which Chris didn't even believe was his from how it looked, even as he starting setting his effects onto holding hooks or in drawers.

"What, friend of yours have this place?" Chris hummed, looking around the dorm, Ritsudo shaking his head.

"Nope."

"Empty dorm you had a key for?"

" _Why_ would I have a key to an empty dorm room?"

"Well _obviously._ No way your place would be this tidy."

 _SMACK!_

Ritsudo's hand met his forehead, Chris looking back at him with a raised brow. It was safe to assume she was either just denying the idea outright, intentionally messing with Ritsudo… or genuinely believed there was no conceivable way Ritsudo was the type to actually keep his living space in order.

He genuinely hoped it was the second.

"Wow, you're just gonna assume that. Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ritsudo grumbled, Chris still giving him a look as he shut the door, "Okay, I'll spell it out for you. I'm a student here at Lydian since the 2nd Division HQ is underground here. We are at the male dorms. _This is my dorm room."_

A moment passed. Then another. And another. The silence stuck for a good thirty seconds before Chris reaction, her face slowly turning a light shade of red.

"Y-You dragged me to your own room?! That you sleep in alone?!" Chris shouted, her hands bunching up as she started fuming, "Stupid pervert! What're you trying to do?!"

"Wow how typical for the tsundere to call the guy a stupid pervert the minute she's embarrassed!" Ritsudo grumbled, a hand over his eyes, "I really need to rethink what I consider my type… Hibiki's nice and sweet, maybe I should find a girl like her next time I try to date someone…"

"What was that?!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo sighing.

"Look, just cool down okay? I'm not gonna do anything nor am I scheming anything. I'm also not dumb enough to pull some cliché accidental crap that'll obviously get me beaten up for." As he said this, Ritsudo started fishing around in his closet, pulling out a towel and some clothes, "Now, I'm not sure if any of my things will fit you right, but at least take a shower and get cleaned up."

"How do I know you're not the type who forgets to knock and will end up walking in huh?!" Chris demanded, slowly taking the offered items, Ritsudo giving her a flat look.

"Okay look, I will be right there at the table on my laptop catching up on an anime or two, maybe watching the latest episode of this seasons Kamen Rider. I can hear the shower going from all the way there. I will not, repeat, _will not_ be unaware it's going." Ritsudo firmly stated, patting Chris on the head as he passed by, the girl staying wary even as he sat down in the spot he designated, "So, from now until you're out of the shower and dressed and back out here, I will not go within five feet of the bathroom door."

"Y'swear?"

"Where the _hell_ do you get your perception of how guys work from? And didn't you say you trust me?"

"This is completely different from that!"

"I don't think you can just cancel out trust like that for sake of convenience."

"UGH! Just shut up, I don't have time for this. I'm leaving in the morning, got it?!"

Ritsudo didn't get to answer as Chris stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, the white haired boy sighing as he heard the water start up. As he said he likely would, he opened his laptop to get it out of sleep mode, but as he was putting his password into it to unlock it, his phone went off, the ringtone he assigned to Hibiki (seeing as he assigned ringtones to everyone on his tiny contacts list for ease of memory) going off.

"Y'ello? Narukami dorm, the only resident speaking." Ritsudo hummed, leaning back as Hibiki chuckled on the other end of the line, "Hehehe, hey Hibiki. Rather late to be calling wouldn't you say?"

" _Yeah I know. I just wanted to check in and make sure you got back safe is all. And if Chris-chan is alright too."_ Hibiki replied, Ritsudo glancing at the bathroom door.

"She doesn't seem to be worse for wear." Ritsudo stated, then glancing out of the window, "Shaken up a bit and tired, but alright."

" _Phew! That's good to know. So… where are you?"_

"My dorm room."

" _WHAT?!"_

Ritsudo pulled his phone away from his ear as Hibiki shrieked, the boy blinking as he brought it back to his ear.

" _-understand having to take her someplace safe but a boy and a girl alone under the same roof… awawawawa!"_

"Uh… Hibiki, what are you freaking out about?"

" _You didn't hear me?!"_

"You scream pretty loudly so I pulled the phone away."

" _O-Oh… sorry! But, it's just… auh, it's embarrassing."_

" _I wish I didn't know why you think that."_ Ritsudo sighed, laying back on the floor and crossing his legs, "Look, don't go and start making some misconceptions a'ight? I like to think you trust me enough to believe I wouldn't pull anything."

" _Of course I don't! It's just that I… uhm… well, I'm just glad knowing your both okay. But, you need to stop skipping classes too! Kyomei-san told me about all of it!"_

"Hibiki that's changing the subject." Ritsudo flatly stated, letting out a chuckle, "But whatever. I'll be back at school once all of his has blown over… something's going on here, and I want to find out what."

" _You really think so?"_

"Yeah… We haven't seen anything of that masked guy or that Finé lady in a while, and the frequency of Noise attacks has died down a bit… I know I should take that as a good sign but it makes me suspicious." Ritsudo stated, sitting up, "So, sorry, but I don't think I'll be showing up at school tomorrow either. Not that I was aiming for a perfect attendance record anyway, what with how much I skipped classes before."

" _If you knew my teacher, you'd try not to miss a day of class if you could! She always seems to target me for some reason…"_ Hibiki made a pouting noise, Ritsudo giving a light laugh, _"Well then, good luck! Oh, have you called Sensei?"_

"Not yet no. You called before anything else." Ritsudo mused, Hibiki humming.

" _Ah. Well, 'night then!"_

"Ditto."

 _Beep_

"Huh, so you and the Gungnir girl seem to get along well." A glance over revealed Chris approaching, the short girl snapping a rubber band on a bunched part of the borrowed shirt, which even when bunched up was clearly still too large for her.

"Well Hibiki and I _are_ partners, even if our Relics can't synch. Though… I think that's more Kusanagi than anything being incompatible." Ritsudo hummed, pulling his pendant out from his shirt, looking at it for a moment before meandering over to the bunk bed, Chris raising a brow as she saw all the items he was pulling out.

"What the…"

"Storage space since I don't have a roommate." Ritsudo stated, setting the boxes and other miscellaneous items down at the end of the bunk bed, "Sleeping on a bed is better than the floor after all."

"What, you were gonna pull that dumb gentleman crap and let the girl take the bed while you take the floor?" Chris sneered, Ritsdo giving her a look as he jumped up onto the top bunk.

"Who knows. Maybe I would've done it the other way around." Ritsudo stated, Chris letting out a shocked noise, the boy diving under the covers, popping back up in a loose shirt and sweatpants, putting his uniform clothes off to the side. "Look, just don't complain much alright? You agreed to the help, so that's what I'm doing, helping."

"Geez. Fine." Chris grumbled, the lights turning off as she slid into the bottom bunk, things silent as Chris shifted around repeatedly, sighing and getting out of the bed, clambering onto the ladder, "Hey! Narukami, you awake?"

Not a response or even a shift, Ritsudo's back to her, Chris puffing out a cheek, reaching out a hand and shoving his shoulder, Ritsudo only making a murmur and rolling over, Chris flinching for a moment as she thought he'd waken up, but a quick look showed he was still sleeping soundly, his expression peaceful more than anything, the white locks of his hair forming a soft frame.

"What the heck… how can he sleep so peacefully?" Chris murmured.

* * *

Getting out of the realm of unconscious was easy for Ritsudo. With the frequency at which he previously found times to nap around, drowsiness was a problem he'd conquered years ago. But, he was still sure Chris was sleeping on the bottom bunk, at least mildly hoping she hadn't woken up earlier than him and run off again.

He was _not,_ however, expecting to feel an arm slip down to his waist and try to pull him in.

"Eh?" Ritsudo blinked at the feeling of a soft _thud_ on his lap and the tugging that follow, looking to his right and spotting a second bulge under the covers, whipping them aside and revealing a sleeping Chris, Ritsudo's face calm despite what one could probably normally expect from such a situation… despite the light blush, "Well… least she didn't run off."

"Mhmm…" Chris murmured, still trying to tug Ritsudo closer, the boy giving musing hum.

"Older brother huh? Looking at it like this… we probably could pass off as siblings." Ritsudo hummed, fiddling with the back portion of his hair a bit, pondering on the fact he and Chris both had the same snow white hair color, "But… knowing what I do… it's weirdly not surprising she creeped up on here."

Ritsudo gave a small hum, adjusting to get free of Chris' grasp, not hard to do, replacing himself with a pillow as he slid off of the bed, immediately being met by his communicator going off next to his phone.

" _That's either Boss or one of the others…"_ Ritsudo thought, spinning the item before answering, "Hello?"

" _Good you answered."_ It was Genjuuro speaking, and from the background noise, Ritsudo could tell he was on the road, _"This is urgent, so I'll be brief. This has to do with Ryouko."_

"The doc? What's going on with her?"

" _I'll explain… but, you're with Chris, right?"_

"Yeah… shit, I forgot to call about that."

" _It's fine. Hibiki informed me. Wherever she was headed before, follow her. I feel we'll end up at the same place."_

"That was the plan. I'll get her up then. See ya' there." Ritsudo stated, Genjuuro humming an affirmative, Ritsudo turning back to the bunkbed, "I've got a bad feeling about all of this…"

* * *

 _Click_

Scortura adjusted his mask back into place, a breath leaving as he leaned on the table of the hall, and with him at the massive computer set up was Ryouko herself, tapping away at the keyboard.

"Lady Finé, I implore you to act faster. Those dogs from America are likely to be here any minute." Scortura stated, Ryouko chuckling… rather, Finé, was chukling.

"It'll be fine my loyal guardian. I have the Nehushtan and Solomon's Cane… not to mention your spear." Finé hummed, Scortura sighing, "Though it has been troubling… I do hope you can remain in control of that boy's body long enough."

"I'll manage. Kadingir is complete… what reason is there to hold out any longer than necessary?" Scortura muttered, Finé chuckling, the masked man looking to the outside, "They're here."

Right in time to what he said, soldiers rushed into the room from the broken doors and the windows, Finé shooting up from the chair as they took aim and immediately opened fire, Finé taking a hit and hitting the ground, Scortura leaping forward and impaling the nearest soldier with his spear, bullets slamming his armor repeatedly, the next nearest soldier being run through before he retreated, the remaining soldiers stepping forward.

"You've been too self centered. All the stored data on the Relics is ours now." One of the soldiers spoke, Finé scoffing in reply, answering in deliberately butchered English.

"You don't need me anymore, as you're ready to rip off… such a thorough nerve." Finé growled, the soldier kicking her and scoffing at the wound she had, the woman moving a hand to the bullet hole, a light at her hands, screaming in pain as lines showed across her body, but only a for a moment before sitting up, "I know you're not the only one who finds this place. So just die you dirty US scum monkeys!"

Scortura dove back down as Finé stood up, spinning his spear rapidly to form a barrier as the soldiers opened fire.

"It's just a childish Uncle Sam… who hasn't even looked at the depths of black art." Finé murmured, looking at the soldiers with murderous eyes, "Scortura… let's kill them all!"

"As you order, Lady Finé… Gae Bolg!"

"GYAAAAGH!"

* * *

"Geez, talk about swanky. Why is it the villains always have cool hideouts, seriously?"

Chris gave Ritsudo a look for his casual comment about Finé's mansion, the girl herself keeping a serious look, Ritsudo shrugging.

"What? It's a legit question! Like, honestly just _once_ can we get a villain who plans in as normal a place as anyone else? It's always some big fancy fortress or mansion!" Ritsudo stated, Chris sighing.

"You have some weird priorities sometimes, y'know that?" Chris growled, dashing off and running into the place, Ritsudo following after giving a sigh, both stopping dead when they entered the main hall and bore witness to blood marring the floors and walls, five dead bodies around, "What's happened here? H-Hey! What're you doing?!"

"Checking… these guys haven't even been dead for that long, their bodies are still a bit warm." Ritsudo muttered, starring at the red now marring his palm from checking the body, "And judging from some of these wounds and the… mess, I'd say our friendly Gae Bolg user killed some of them himself."

"Finé… Scortura…" Chris grumbled, growling as her hands bunched into fists, both teens turning when they heard new steps, Genjuuro standing at the ruined door, Chris' eyes wide in surprise, but, Genjuuro looked at Ritsudo next.

"Ritsudo, what's it look like?" The commander asked, Ritsudo wiping the blood off his hand.

"All dead. Have been for a little while. Guess is, Finé and her pal killed them earlier today. Chris and I just got here… we didn't see a thing." Ritsudo answered, Chris looking at him in a bit of surprise, then looking around as various men in suits ran in behind Genjuuro, the muscular man nodding and approaching the teenagers.

"Good. It's sad to say… but this is the work of a woman we know well." Genjuuro muttered, Ritsudo raising a brow.

"Commander Kazanari!" One of the suits spoke up, all of them turning, Ritsudo's eyes widening when he saw one of the bodies had a note tacked onto it.

"Wait, don't pull that off! It's-"

 _BOOOM!_

The building was rocked as an explosion ran through it, blasting apart the walls and roof, but in the aftermath, none present were grievously injured, Ritsudo panting with a drawn Kusanagi, walls of black wind dying down around the men in suits, Genjuuro holding up a piece of the rubble and guarding Chris.

"Everyone all right?!" Ritsudo shouted, reverting his sword to it's pendant form, getting affirmatives from the suits.

"What's going on here?!" Chris muttered, looking around at all the rubble.

"I used my spiritual energy to protect us, while Ritsudo guarded the othes with Kusanagi's winds." Genjuuro answered, Chris growling.

"That wasn't my question!" Chris snapped, struggling for a moment, but getting free of Genjuuro's grasp, leaping back, "Why is someone that can't use a Gear protecting me?!"

"So _not_ having one means someone can't help?" Ritsudo muttered, clearly sarcastic in intent, even a bit annoyed in tone on top of it, Genjuuro dropping the slab of stone to the floor, turning to Chris.

"I'm protecting you because I'm a little more grown up than you, not because I have, or lack, a Gear." Was the answer the adult gave.

"A grown up?!" Chris hissed, giving a bitter scoff next, "I hate grown-ups! And I hate my mom and dad! Dreamers and cowards! I'm not like they were! Helping refugees in war zones? Saving the world through song? They should have been too old to dream that crap!"

"Too old to dream, huh?" Genjuuro hummed, and if one looked at Ritsudo, they'd note he was looking down, his expression calm, but the small downward tilt of his lips and the angry burn in his eyes told everything about how he felt at the moment.

"If they really wanted to get rid of war, they should have destroyed anyone with the power and will to fight! That's the most logical, most realistic way!" Chris shouted, stopping as Ritsudo stepped in front of her…

 _SLAP!_

And next she knew, there was a sharp pain going across her face, looking over to see Ritsudo giving her a calm but definitively _angry_ stare as he lowered his arm.

"Idiot." Ritsudo quietly muttered, his other hand tightly balling up, "Stopping war by eliminating everyone with power who'll fight back? That'll only breed more people willing to fight, who'll want to gain power… but, don't go and disvalue what you're mom and dad stood for, what they wanted to achieve!"

"What?!" Chris snapped, noticing the tears brimming at Ritsudo's eyes.

"You're still alive when they're not… as their child you should be trying to become better than them, not worse!" Ritsudo snapped, barely containing the sadness tinged anger, "That's what every child should try to achieve, to be better than their parents!"

"Ritsudo is right on that point. As their daughter, you should live to become better than your mother and father… not worse than them, especially not by disvaluing what they dreamed about achieving." Genjuuro stated, patting Ritsudo on the shoulder, the boy wiping his eyes off, "'Too old to dream', you said. That's wrong. You can dream _because_ you're older. When you get older, you get taller, stronger. And you get a little more cash in your wallet. What were once dreams, when you were a kid, can become reality, once you've grown up. There's more meaning in dreams. Did your parents go to a war zone to dream? No. They wanted to make their dream of peace, through song, a reality. And to make it happen, they went to hell on Earth."

"Why… why would you…" Chris muttered, Ritsudo walking over and putting a hand on her head again, "H-Hey!"

"You know this already… but my parents never had dreams that big." Ritsudo stated, Chris looking to the side, Ritsudo removing her hand, shielding his eyes as he looked up at the sun through the missing roof, "They just wanted a drama-less, peaceful life where nothing special happened. Ordinary people with ordinary dreams… so as their son, it's my job to dream bigger, to aim higher than they did, so that there'd still be some meaning to their lives that were cut short. As long as my song can save even one person, then I know I'm doing something like that… and I think, that's something your parents wanted you to see, Chris… the undeniable fact dreams _can_ come true. So… even if you said you hate them, I'm sure they loved you more than anything."

It was that soft, reassuring smile combined with the words from both Ritsudo and Genjuuro that started breaking down Chris' guard, tears welling in her eyes, not even a moment of hesitance from Ritsudo as he stepped forward and hugged her, Genjuuro showing a small smile as the girl returned the embrace as she began sobbing into his chest.

" _To think, just a few months ago, that boy looked at the world with disdain and didn't know if he had a place… and in such a short amount of time, he's become someone who's smile can calm other's, who's kindness shines through no matter what. Hm, just like his partner."_ Genjuuro though, and while it took a moment, Chris calmed down, Ritsudo patting her on the head lightly as she rubbed her eyes.

"There, feel a bit better now?" Ritsudo chuckled, Chris looking to the side and batting his hand away.

"Shut up…"

And a short while later, the cars that were present had been loaded up and moved out, only leaving Genjuuro, Ritsudo, and Chris at the entrance, the two stopping from entering Genjuuro's vehicle as Chris spoke up.

"I think…" Chris murmured, Ritsudo sighing.

"That you can't come with us right now, right?" Ritsudo hummed, Chris slowly nodding, "Well, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again real soon. You aren't as alone as you think y'know?"

"Right." Genjuuro agreed to the statement, Chris glancing between the two, "Even if you follow your own path, it will cross ours in the near future."

"We've fought up till now, and _now_ we're supposed to be friends? Aren't you too old for those platitudes?" Chris muttered, Ritsudo rolling his eyes, then stepping over and flicking her on the forehead.

"Geez, now I know how everyone else felt about _me_ being a cynic." Ritsudo sighed, Chris glaring at him as she held her forehead, "But, yes. Just because we used to be enemies, doesn't mean we can't be friends. Besides, I trust you, so I'm sure things aren't done with us here. I _do_ hope we can be friends though."

"Well said, Ritsudo. Here." Genjuuro passed Chris a communicator, Chris looking at the item as Genjuuro and Ritsudo climbed into the SUV.

"A transmitter?" Chris murmured, Ritsudo showing his own as he leaned out of the back window a bit.

"Yeah. Useful for when you need to pay for something quickly and don't have your phone on ya', or for some quick transportation." Ritsudo chuckled, Chris letting out a breath.

"Kadgingir!" Chris shouted, Genjuuro and Ritsudo looking at her, "Finé kept using that word… 'Kadingir.' I don't know what it is. But she kept saying it was completed."

"Kadingir." Genjuuro murmured, a steely look on his face, "I'm done playing catch-up. This time, we'll get the drop on her."

"Hey! Chris, if something happens or comes up, give a call alright? We'll come running to help, or better yet, get your ass out of the rut and come join us already okay?!" Ritsudo shouted back as the cars pulled off, Chris sighing as she shook her head.

"Oh whatever! Like I'd go and call you for help, damn weirdo!" Chris shouted back, but it was impossible not to catch the small smile on her face, Ritsudo laughing as he ducked back into the car and rolled up the window, Genjuuro glancing back at him in the rear-view mirror.

"You two get along."

"Well… we did Synchronize after all. So… we get each other. Kinda like how Hibiki and I can just tell from a glance what the other is thinking… though, I guess with Chris I know a bit _too_ much." Ritsudo mused, Genjuuro chuckling.

"Really now? So… what do you think of her? I'd hate to see Hibiki get jealous and think someone's stealing away her partner." Genjuuro mused, Ritsudo raising a brow.

"Eh? What do I think… well…" Ritsudo murmured, looking out the window, "Well, right now, I guess I kinda think of Chris as a little sister. Someone I wanna look out for and keep safe… but, she's strong and can take care of herself too. Just needs a little help is all." Ritsudo hummed, leaning on a hand, "But right now… we need to be more concerned with this Kadingir thing… whatever it is."

"Right."

* * *

 _ **2nd Division HQ**_

" _Kyomei here."_

" _Yes, this is Tsubasa."_

" _This is Hibiki."_

All three images of the other Gear users appeared on screen in the command center, Ritsudo sitting on the railings just near Genjuuro, the other staff already at work on their consoles.

"We've found something." Genjuuro stated, "Where's Ryouko?"

"Not here yet. We haven't heard from her since this morning." Aoi answered, Ritsudo cocking an eyebrow at that.

" _I'm sure she's fine!"_ Hibiki perked up, Ritsudo folding his arms and giving a long hum. _"If anything attacks, she'll just blow it up like she did when protecting me!"_

" _What?"_ Was the three way response Hibiki got her from fellow Gear users.

" _Dr. Sakurai doesn't have any combat training."_ Tsubasa stated, Kyomei nodding along.

" _Huh? Don't you and Ryouko-san both have super powers?"_ Hibiki asked, Ritsudo tilting his head.

" _I thought that was just because the commander's done a lot of training…"_ Kyomei murmured, a pensive look on his face, attention coming in when another call reached the line.

" _Finally got through! Sorry, I overslept! And my communicator isn't working…"_ Ryouko's cheery voice came through, Genjuuro and Ritsudo exchanging a nod as their eyes narrowed a bit.

"Are you okay Ryouko? Is there any problem?" Genjuuro asked.

" _I overslept and forgot to take out the trash."_ Ryouko responded, Ritsudo putting a hand to his head at the very typical excuse… but it made him feel even more of a sense of creeping suspicion as well. _"Is anything wrong?"_

" _I'm relived!"_ Hibiki sighed, Kyomei and Tsubasa glancing at each other.

"All right then, there's something we want to ask you." Genjuuro stated, Ryouko humming in response.

" _You're always in such a hurry. What is it?"_ Ryouko implored.

"Kadingir. What does that word mean?" Genjuuro asked, Ryouko humming in thought for a moment.

"' _Kadgingir' is ancient Sumerian for 'the ones on high.'"_ Answered the scientist, _"From there, it came to mean a tower so high, it reached the heavens."_

" _A tower that reaches the heavens… that's familiar… too familiar… wait…"_ Ritsudo thought, his eyes beginning to widen in clear realization.

"If someone _is_ building such a tower, how could we have missed it?" Genjuuro asked, glancing at Ritsudo as the boy was now muttering to himself, a pensive expression showing on his face.

" _It is kind of strange."_ Hibiki murmured.

"Still, we finally have a lead." Genjuuro added, again glancing at Ritsudo, who seemed even deeper in thought now as his fingers drummed on his upper arms. "If we continue to gather information, we've as good as won. We'll find a weak spot and hit them hard. This is the final battle. Don't screw u-"

"THE TOWER OF BABEL!" Ritsudo suddenly shouted, everyone's attention turning to him, the boy growling as he put his hands on his head, "Of course, of course it's the Tower of Babel! But how the heck would someone hide such a big thing?!"

" _Tower of what?"_ Hibiki asked, Ritsudo sighing.

"The Tower of Babel. It's from Biblical mythos, a story explaining why humanity speaks different languages." Ritsudo stated, and among the noises that followed, Ryouko was strangely silent, "It was a time when humanity spoke a single language and was unified, and as they traveled, they decided to build a city, and within it, construct a tower tall enough to reach Heaven, a tower built to reach God himself. As punishment, God struck down the tower and divided humanity, wiping away their original language and forcing them to speak many others."

" _How do you know all of that?"_ Kyomei asked.

"I've researched every bit of mythological information I could find whether it comes to Relics, places, and structures. Babel stuck out to me though, even before I started researching everything… I also remember reading another version of the story, but I can't remember all of the details… something about a woman and her follower…" pinching the bridge of his nose, Ritsudo gave a long sigh.

"That's actually very helpful. We'll begin looking into this. The rest of you stay on guard." Genjuuro stated, only Ryouko's transmission remaining for a moment.

" _I've got something to take care of, but then I'll head straight over."_ Ryouko stated, though there was this odd sort of tenseness in her voice… like there was more to say that was being stated.

"Got it." Genjuuro nodded, looking around at the staff, "Begin searching everything you can related to the Tower of Babel! It doesn't matter how small or how broad, research everything you can!"

" **Yes sir!"**

"Ritsudo, good job on figuring that out." Genjuuro stated, Ritsudo nodding, "You look troubled, is something wrong?"

"Kind of… I mean… Babel was tall, over 2000 meters… wait… how deep is the base again?" Ritsudo asked, Genjuuro's eyes widening for a moment, catching the wavelength the boy was on, Ritsudo's eyes widening like plates before he rushed out, darting to the elevator and opening it, looking around at the shaft that was the various levels of the area, the ornate walls, how it spiraled down to be narrow at the bottom and wide at the top.

And that was when his mind froze on one thought: _"Like an upside-down tower."_

"We can't find Kadingir because we're already _in it."_ Ritsudo murmured, his expression one of disbelieving shock, "Our HQ _is Kadingir!?_ But, that means… who could? wait a minute, wait, wait wait… Ryouko's been missing for a little while, and what she said sounded… Finé and Ryouko… either they're working together or… _are they the same person?!"_

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And so, the plot thickens further as we reach the final arc of the first cour! Knew that detail about Ritsudo being a mythology buff would come in handy sooner or later! Hehehe. Well, see you next chapter, as the story crescendos further!**


	13. Stanza XIII

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XIII: Mani Filettati**

"That boy is going to be troublesome Lady Finé. If he was able to connect Kadingir with the Tower, then who is to say he won't deduce _where_ it's hidden? Or that his allies will as well?"

Finé chuckled as she tightened the bandage on her side, Scortura tilting his head as she stood, looking confident rather than trouble due to the earlier talks over the communicators.

"I don't doubt he won't manage it. The boy doesn't act like it, but he's incredibly intelligent. I wouldn't be surprised if he figured out who I am at the same time." Finé stated, raising the Staff of Solomon, "It just means we'll have to begin the plan sooner, right? As for the rest of them… Would you like to help provide a distraction in the meantime?"

"I currently feel remaining by your side is more prudent to the plan. Besides, I'm sure enough Noise clamoring around will procide a suitable distraction to make the Symphogears react." The masked man added, Finé nodding as she put the staff on her shoulder.

"Correct. Well then, let's allow them to do just that and cause some chaos."

Four pulls of the trigger on the staff, and a smirk from Finé told all that needed to be said.

The final battle was starting here and now.

* * *

"Man… the hell am I gonna say?! I can't just walk in there and say "Hey, our base is actually a giant tower built into the ground and I _think_ our chief scientist has been the bad guy all along!" They'll think I'm crazy! Gagh, man situations like this suck! Now I know how all those manga heroes feel!"

Ritsudo pulled at his hair as he wandered the hallway back to the control room, having spent the time mulling over the mind-numbing revelation he'd reached, knowing full well he couldn't just randomly pop in and say such things without solid evidence.

Granted with what _was_ there he was pretty sure any claims of him having gone nuts would be dissuaded. But that wasn't the point.

And then the alarm began blaring.

Ritsudo immediately sprinted off and made his way back to the command center as quickly as he could, entering just as the operators were scrambling to get a read on the situation.

"Three flying type Dreadnought-class Noise at once! No, there's another!" Sakuya shouted, Ritsudo and Genjuuro leaning over the console, Ritsudo clicking his tongue as he stepped back.

"Mother… Boss, I'll get out there right away!" Ritsudo shouted, Genjuuro nodding and already getting a line in to the others, Ritsudo hopping as he shot around, "Dammit, how much should I bet this is just a diversion to whatever's really going on?!"

* * *

Once he was outside, Ritsudo was already armored up and proceeding along by leaping across the roof tops to get into the city as quickly as he could, though as he continued, a flash of red made him skid to a stop, shooting around and looking all over, readying his sword when he saw Scortura standing on a telephone pole parallel to him.

"Let me guess, Finé sent you to slow me and the others down huh!? Cause as much chaos as possible or something?!" Ritsudo snapped, keeping a glare, but not an answer came.

Instead, Scortura lowered his spear, the weapon retracting into his gauntlet, much to the white haired boy's surprise, and with a slow motion, the armored figure removed his mask… but instead of the face Ritsudo had glimpsed before, of the tan skinned man, it was instead the younger, fairer face of Koto looking at him, but, like before, his features were flickering back and forth.

"Sorry… ngh, for the rude introduction." Koto muttered, wincing like he was in pain, "But… I don't… have much time to speak, so… I need to be fast."

"Who… are you?" Ritsudo murmured, still keeping his sword raised.

"My name… is Koto Cadenza. I'm a friend of Kyomei and Tsubasa's. Please… tell them I'm okay, that I'm… we're, fighting our own battle right now. But… tell the both of them… we won't lose, and that I'll see them again. Grgh… stay… down!" Koto lurched forward and put a hand on his face, Ritsudo's eyes wide as he saw the sight before him, the young man standing straight, but with labored breaths leaving him, "Please… tell them we're still fighting… that I'm coming home! Hurry, before he takes control… before he makes me hurt you!"

"How the hell do I know you're not just tricking me?!" Ritsudo snapped, Koto chuckling.

"I… figured you wouldn't believe me at first… just… ask that sword of yours." Koto stated, growling as his body lurched again, the flickers of his features becoming longer, more drawn out, "Just… please, hurry, and help them!... Finé… she's beginning her plan… all of you have to fight… you can't give in, no matter what, alright?!"

"Geez, this is so random but… alright, I'll tell them!" Ritsudo nodded and jumped off, looking back at the sight, halting again when a scream was let out, a pillar of red shooting skyward, but, with that moment, Ritsudo continued on, his eyes locked on the Dreadnought Noise circling the sky tower, and he blinked when he felt a twinge in his head, "So… I can trust that Koto guy huh? Well, if you say so… you _are_ a god killing sword and all. But… why are the Noise heading for the Sky Tower? Tch… they're definitely just hear to run distraction."

Ritsudo stopped again when his transmission line crackled, only _then_ realizing he'd been cut off earlier, tapping the side of his armors headset to get it working again.

" _-sudo! AH, good, you're back on the line."_ Genjuuro's voice came through, Ritsudo nodding as the man's image appeared in the corner of his visor.

"Sorry, ran into something that cut me off. You're seeing what I am right?"

" _Yes, that all the Noise are gathering at the Tokyo Sky Tower. Sakuya says there is a possibility "Kadingir" may be the sky tower."_

" _If only that was the case…"_ Ritsudo muttered, clenching a hand, "I'll keep that in mind but, sir… with all due respect, what if it's all just a trick? Kadgingir could be elsewhere."

" _I'm aware. But… even if it's a trap, hurry there and rendezvous with the others."_

"Got it." Ritsudo nodded and cut the line, clicking his tongue as he let out a small hiss, "Dammit… whatever, I'll tell them later, task at hand! Kusanagi, let's go!"

Ritsudo flicked his blade as he shot off, the Dreadnoughts dropping regular Noise like payloads while smaller flight types shot from their tops, Ritsudo giving a snicker as he saw one of the 2nd Division helicopters rising above the swarm, a yellow light dropping from it and signaling Hibiki's arrival on the scene, her drop sending her right through one of the Dreadnought's and blowing a massive hole through it, Ritsudo swiping his sword to cut down the flitting Noise streaking for her, though one could see the blow was _actually_ intended for the nearest Deadnought instead.

Below, streaking in on a motorcycle came Tsubasa and Kyomei, the two leaping from it and deploying their armors, Tsubasa leading off with a slash from her larger blade, though the attack didn't even so much as scrape the Dreadnought despite ripping through the swarm of Noise below it, the girl clicking her tongue as Kyomei lowered his bow, already realizing not even his ranged weapons could reach it either, Ritsudo and Hibiki dropping to the ground near them as Tsubasa stood up.

"I didn't realize giving up the high ground would be this big of a disadvantage." Tsubasa muttered, Ritsudo bouncing his sword on his shoulder, stopping when Tsubasa looked at him, "Did you even try to take one down?"

"I missed." Ritsudo bitterly muttered, looking to the side.

"We can use the helicopters to attack from the sky too!" Hibiki answered, though just as she did, the helicopter that was above them got skewered by flying Noise, blowing to smithereens, all four in shock, Tsubasa immediately readying her blade again, though they had to scatter as more of the Noise dove at them, cutting, smashing, or shooting down the ones that came to close, but more just kept getting dropped from the Dreadnaughts above, "Flying Noise… what do we do?"

"This'd be a really convenient time for my new favorite tsundere to show up…" Ritsudo murmured, Hibiki tilting her head as she looked at him, "She's probably got _something_ that can shoot those things down."

"Don't get scared Tachibana. If a defender falls, the line of battle falls with them!" Tsubasa stated, Kyomei bearing a thoughtful expression as he looked around.

"If I could get high enough, I could hit these things with one of my attacks… but I can only fire Brahmastra off once before needing to cool down…" Kyomei muttered, everyone ready to defend, though as if in answer to Ritsudo's muttering, the swarm of flying Noise diving at them was cut down buy a swarm of bullets, Ritsudo laughing as bit as they turned to see Chris just down the way, the barrels of her rotary guns slowing down with smoke billowing from them.

"I'm only here because this stupid thing wouldn't shut up. And don't get the wrong idea, I'm not here to help you!" Chris grumbled, showing the transmitter Genjuuro had given her, Ritsudo smirking as she stowed it away, the short girl giving him a small glare, "Oh don't look so smug like you expected me to show up!"

" _She is here to help. A bit late, maybe."_ Genjuuro's voice came through the transmitter, Chris' expression immediately changing to an embarrassed one, Ritsudo snickering behind a hand.

"She's here to help?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei looking just as taken aback, Ritsudo nodding as he stepped forward.

"Course she is. She _does_ have the second relic… I think Chrissy here was _bound_ to show up again sooner or later." Ritsudo teased, Chris giving him a small glare, but mixed with the same light blush from earlier, as he did.

"Oh shut it! Not like I'm here because the old man mentioned you needed help or anything…" Chris muttered, Ritsudo snickering, only to hold back a laugh as Hibiki ran over and glomped onto Chris.

"Chris-chan, thank you!" Hibiki cheered, Chris trying to push her back, "I knew we could understand each other!"

"You dummy, didn't you hear me?!" Chris yelled, Ritsudo rolling his eyes at the scene, Kyomei clearing his throat to get the younger trio's attention, Tsubasa nodding.

"For now, we should work together to fight the Noise." Tsubasa suggested, Chris breaking away from Hibiki and moving off.

"I'll handle this myself. Just don't get in my way." Chris stated, Ritsudo bringing a hand to his face as Chris opened fire with her usual slew of shots, turning to the others.

"Whatever, Chris can handle the ones in the sky, we can get the ones on the ground. Senpai, you think you can help out Chris since you used range weapons too?" Ritsudo turned to Kyomei next, the elder boy nodding, adjusting his bow in his hands.

"Not a problem. Granted my weapons are more for precision, but I can manage." Answered Kyomei, Ritsudo nodding, flicking his left arm to produce the second blade, scraping both his weapons together.

"Good, then let's go!"

With Chris' song leading the way into the fight, the five Symphogear's shot into the swarm of Noise dropping from the Dreadnaught's, Chris and Kyomei shooting down the flyers while Ritsudo, Hibiki, and Tsubasa scythed their way through the ground types, though the crowd was barely thinning out no matter how many were shot down, it quickly becoming apparent that if the Dreadnaught's weren't taken out, the fight would never end.

"Geez, those big guys are annoying as hell!" Ritsudo yanked his swords out of a Noise, grumbling as he looked at all the ash lining the streets from the wake of their rampage, looking up when he heard yelling, spotting Chris on one of the rooftops with Tsubasa, clearly aggravated by her presence, "This again… ugh!"

"What are you doing? Get out of here!" Ritsudo picked up on Chris' snapping as he leapt up to the roof, Tsubasa giving the short girl a look.

"You need to control yourself. Do you think you fight alone?" Tsubasa questioned, Chris scoffing.

"I'm always alone. We aren't comrades at all!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo slowly creeping up behind her as she yelled, "You may be right, that there's no reason for us to fight. But even so… we have no reason not to fight. Not long ago, we were fighting each oth-"

 _WHAP!_

"ER!?"

"We _just_ had this conversation this morning!" Ritsudo let out a groan as he lowered the hand he'd used to whack Chris on the back of her head, a hand on his hips as the girl looked back at him while reeling from the surprise of the blow. "Honestly, your attitude is making it hard to believe anything I've told you has paid off. You're _not_ alone. You've got me, and Boss is fully willing to help you. Not to mention, Hibiki would befriend you off the bat if you gave her a chance."

"Yup!" Hibiki declared, popping up from behind Ritsudo in comedic fashion and taking one of Chris' hands in her own, Kyomei joining the group at the same time, "You can get along with anyone!" the process continued as Hibiki grabbed Tsubasa's hand, the boys glancing at each other as the blonde girl continued on, "I used to wonder why I didn't have an Armed Gear. I hated always feeling incomplete. But now, I don't think that way. Because I don't have anything in my hands, I can hold both of yours! I can be friends with all of you!"

"Don't make a remark." Kyomei warned, Ritsudo looking away in an obstinate manner of objection, Kyomei yelping when Tsubasa planted her sword into the ground and grabbed hold of his free hand, though a small glance quickly got him in on the message, Ritusdo yelping when Kyomei grabbed his arm, the blue haired teen jutting his expression towards Chris, who was also glancing away from things, Ritsudo sighing, getting the hint.

"Well, Biki's got a point there." Ritsudo admitted, holding his free hand out to Chris, a small smile on as the girl hesitated, "Trust me, everyone here will be your friend… you're not alone anymore, so don't force yourself to think you still are."

After a moment more, Chris reached her free hand out and took Ritsudo's offered hand, completing the five person circle, to HIbiki's joy as her grin widened, though the moment was broken up by one of the remaining Dreadnaught's flying over the ground, Ritsudo retrieving his planted sword as he looked up at it.

"Well, heartwarming moment over, how're we gonna kill these things?" Ritsudo asked, turning back to the others.

"Right. We have to defeat the boss, or this will never end." Tsubasa stated, retrieving her blade as well.

"Well, in this case boss _es._ Man, this is such a horribly gank it's not even funny." Kyomei sighed, Ritsudo blinking at the use of gamer lingo, Chris giving a snicker.

"Then I have an idea." Chris stated, "Something only I could do. Ichaival specializes in long-range, wide-area attacks. I'll fire a blast into it!"

"Not your Swan Song…" Hibiki muttered, Ritsudo shaking his head, Chris scoffing.

"Dummy. My life isn't that cheap!" Chris stated, Tsubasa tilting her head.

"Then, how?" The bluenette questioned, Kyomei looking just as puzzled, Ritsudo sighing in the meanwhile.

"Chris' Gear has the firepower to blow all of these things away you guys. All we've gotta do is give you time, right?" Ritsudo asked, Chris nodding in confirmation.

"Exactly. I'll keep raising the Gear's output without giving the energy any outlet. I'll keep charging it until it hits the limit, and then fire it all at once!" Chris snickered, Ritsudo nodding.

"Well then, I can help out with that. We can Synchronize our Gears, so if we do while you're charging, you'll get a bigger bang for your buck!" Ritsudo stated, Chris sighing, but not objecting to it.

"But you'll be helpless during the charge if you do this." Kyomei stated, then traiing a bit, "Wait, that's obvious. We'll just cover for the both of you then so that we can take all of the Noise out at once."

"But with this many enemies, it's too dangerous!" Tsubasa objected, Hibiki shrugging.

"That's true. But we can protect her, and with Ritsu here, he'll make sure none of them get close!" Hibiki stated, Ritsudo nodding, Chris looking a bit surprised, all of them turning to the coming enemies, Ritsudo remaining with Chris as the others jumped off, his visor pulling back as he turned around.

"Alright, it's all on you. I'll cut down any Noise dumb enough to get close while you charge got it?" Ritsudo said, Chris nodding, their Gears beginning to glow as a new tune began, Chris shutting her eyes and letting out a breath, "Let's go! No backing out now, got it!"

 _ **I wonder why, why? Even though my heart was all a mess,  
I didn't hate the warmth of the hand reached out to me...  
It's overflowing... overflowing... Overflowing this much.  
The light... Power... Lets my soul...?**_

As Chris' voice rang out across the battlefield, the glow from her and Ritsudo's Gears getting brighter than the moment, the other three were fending off any Noise that began drawing close to the two, the air wiping around in the flurry of battle.

"It's up to you two, go for it!" Kyomei shouted over the sounds of the Noise, Ritsudo nodding as he turned to Chris, the girl nodding in response.

 _ **Shoot free! Enthusiastic praise, brilliance, heartbeats! All of them.  
Look at the sky... It won't drip down... Because I've found it.**_

Every bit of possible weaponry that could be formed began expanding out from Chris' armor as she locked onto the ground, Ritsudo hopping up onto one of the four large missiles primed to go, Chris letting loose everything she had at the Noise.

 _-MEGADETH QUARTET-_

 _ **Ah, never again... Never again! I won't wander.  
Let the dream that should come true roar with the feelings of my entire soul.  
This is a requiem of conviction. **_

Everything that was in the way was shot down by the rain of gunfire and explosions from Chris' onslaught of firearms and explosives, Ritsudo riding the missile he'd mounted all the way up and past one of the Dreadnaughts, dropping down as he slipped off and cutting right through one of them as it was rained down on by more explosions, the other three Gear usings watching from below in awe as the sky was filled with fire, the Dreadnaught's and their smaller companions being cut down by the dozens thanks to all of it.

 _ **My song is a song of the future, a song that rips through the warped falsehoods.  
I've realized... I can finally... See it.  
I'm sure it will reach... Surely.**_

"HELLS YEAH!" Ritsudo cheered as the Noise were all finished, caught in free fall, "That's what I'm talking about!"

"We seriously did it?!" Kyomei awed, Chris chuckling.

"Course we did!" Chris laughed, Hibiki cheering as the remnants of Noise rained down, all the Gear users gathering on the streets.

"We did it! Yay!" Hibiki cheered, Chris yelping when she got hugged again by the excitable girl, pushing her away.

"Stop it stupid, what are you doing?!" Chris snapped, all of them disengaging their Gears, Kyomei chuckling at the girl's obstinate behavior.

"We won, thanks to you!" Hibiki laughed, again hugging Chris and _again_ being pushed away.

"I said to stop! Listen… I'm not your friend!" Chris snapped, "I just want to settle things with Finé, and make my new dream come true!"

A moment of silence passed after the statement, only then did the others realize they were missing one from the lack of some kind of snarky comment on things: Ritsudo. Currently not present despite what they'd initially thought.

"The heck? He's normally around to make some kind of comment, where'd Ritsudo go?!" Chris muttered, looking around, Hibiki blinking.

"I saw Ritsudo falling earlier… agh! He must have crashed somewhere nearby!" Hibiki yelped, all of them looking back a ways when they heard laughing, running towards the source of it only to find Ritsudo smack in the middle of a small crater, his armor gone but otherwise unscathed, likely protected from his fall by the now disengaged set, "Ritsu?! Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine! Don't even hurt one but… though I am kinda stuck." Ritsudo stated, still laughing a bit as he spoke, angling his head to look at the others, Chris sighing as Hibiki yanked Ritsudo out of the crater, "Ah man that was _awesome!_ I only thought you could get away with riding missiles in anime, but apparently, it works in real life too! Hehehehe!"

"That was so cool what you did! I'll have to try it myself soon!" Hibiki chuckled, Ritsudo nodding at the idea of it, Chris sighing.

"You really are an idiot y'know that?" Chris muttered, but, they all caught the small, warm smile she then got, "But, I'll admit, it _was_ pretty cool."

"Hells yeah it was!" Ritsudo stated, giving a thumbs up, "Oh, before I forget, Kyomei, Tsubasa, I met that masked guy on the way here… only, it wasn't the same guy."

"Huh?" Kyomei gasped, Ritsudo nodding.

"Yeah, it was that Koto guy you've mentioned once or twice… he told me to tell the both of you… "We're still fighting. I'll make it home, so keep fighting yourselves, no matter what happens." Well… that's kinda the abridged version of it all anway." Ritsudo answered, both elder Gear user's faces gaining shocked, but also relieved looks.

"He's fighting himself? Which means… which means we can help! Hahaha, Koto's still around, that means there's a chance we can free him from that guys control!" Kyomei laughed, so excited he even hugged Tsubasa, the idol blushing from surprise even after being released.

"T-True… though we'll need to form a plan of course." Tsubasa cleared her throat, hiding a small grin of her own, though the moment was broken a bit as Hibiki's phone rang.

"Yes?" Hibiki answered.

" _Hibiki?"_ A panicked Miku was the one to call, everyone glancing around at each other, _"The school… Lydian's being attacked from the inside—"_

 _BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

All five Gear users gasped as the line cut out, only the beeping of Hibiki's phone accenting the shocked silence now in the air around all of them…

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And we near the climax! Further, onwards into the action as things rise! Hehehehe, oh this is gonna be sweet! Have any questions, feel free to ask them, and see ya'll next chapter!**


	14. Stanza XIV

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XIV: Saliré a Finé**

Gunfire and panicked screams filled the air of the Lydian Academy grounds, Finé overlooking the carnage as the soldiers gunfire could only hold the rampaging Noise back as the students fled in a panicked storm for safety.

"Even when there is no hope, they still continue to struggle. Hm." Finé scoffed, looking back when the shifting of armor sounding, showing a wider smirk as Scortura appeared, readjusting his mask, "Ah, I was wondering where you'd run off to."

"Forgive me… the boy is fighting back. He managed to regain control for a short while." The armored figure stated, Finé humming.

"Did he warn the others?"

"He only spoke with the Kusanagi user. His only warning was "continue fighting"… I doubt it will amount to much." The masked fighter stated, Finé giving a hum.

"Perhaps." The woman hummed, fiddling with the lab coat on her, "I'll go and activate Kadingir… you wait out here for the Symphogears return."

"And for those fleeing?"

"They don't matter, so I don't care. Allow them to flee or kill any stragglers, it doesn't matter in the end."

"Understood, Lady Finé." Scortura nodded, Finé disappearing with a chuckle, the masked man standing and turning back to the city, the Dreadnaught Noise flying above, "Alright then, young warriors, defeat your enemies, and come meet me… let's see how you fare when Kadingir rises."

* * *

As night fell on the now ruined academy grounds, the five Gear users arrived in a rush, shock on their faces as they looked around at the rubble.

"Miku! Everyone!" Hibiki shouted, Ritsudo clenching a fist as he clicked his tongue, a dead silence permeating the air around them.

"Damn… this is a disaster in every since of the word." Ritsudo growled.

"Lydian is…" Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei kicking a stone.

"Dammit! Those Noise were just a distraction!" Kyromei grumbled, all five looking towards one of the buildings, who else waiting for them there but Scortura and Finé, still in the guise of Ryoko.

"Dr. Sakurai?!" Tsubasa gasped, Chris giving a growl while Ritsudo looked on guard.

"Finé! Did you do this?!" Chris snapped, Tsubasa, Kyomei, and Hibiki looking at the white haired girl with confusion on their faces, Finé only laughing in response.

"Course she did… who the hell else?" Ritsudo muttered, already pulling out his pendant to be at the ready.

"Is that laughter your answer, Dr. Sakurai?!" Tsubasa demanded, the laughing only continuing for a short moment.

"That's the bitch I have to settle things with! She's Finé!" Chris shouted, Finé responded by removing her glasses and letting her hair fall, a burst of blue light shining from her body, the Gear users gasping as the woman than changed into the darker skinned, blonde appearance that was Finé's, clad in a golden Nehushtan armor.

"No way…" Hibiki murmured, standing straight, Finé looking down on the teenagers with a smirk, Scortura rising and drawing his spear. "It isn't true, right? It can't be true. Because, you protected me!"

"I was merely protecting Durandal." Finé answered, "It's a rare, complete Relic."

"You're lying… if you're Finé, where's the real Ryouko-san?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo giving a narrowed glance.

"The body of Sakurai Ryouko was devoured a long time ago. No… you could say that her mind died twelve years ago." Finé casually answered, the four Gear user's who'd known her feeling a pang of shock pass through them, "Finé, a priestess of a pre-historic super civilization, carved her consciousness into her genes. She made it so that, when any of her descendants encountered and aufwachen waveform, her memories and abilities would revive. Twelve years ago, Kazanari Tsubasa and Hyoshi Kyomei;s accidental activation of the Ame no Habakiri and Vijaya simultaneously awakened the consciousness sleeping inside Sakurai Ryouko. That awakened consciousness, is myself."

"You destroyed Ryouko-san." Hibiki murmured.

"Like a ghost returning from the past." Tsubasa murmured.

"Then what about him?" Kyomei growled, pointing at Scortura, the masked figure giving a hum, removing his mask to expose his face, none of the "glitching" present in his appearance at the moment, Kyomei gritting his teeth at the all too familiar face. "Koto…"

"Like Lady Finé, my consciousness is _also_ tied to that of my descendants… the same principle applies, once exposed to aufwachen waves, the one is question will awaken to my own consciousness. However, I was repressed when the boy you call Koto awoke to my presence. Blame that Relic of his. It was a troublesome item I'm glad to be rid of. Him falling into despair at the death of the girl he loved only made it easier." Scortura's tone was level, but the monotone seemed far more mocking than anything, Kyomei's eyes wide, Ritsudo scoffing.

"Easy? Then how the hell is he fighting back eh?! He talked to me earlier, and I passed on the message he gave me. You're control is slipping, isn't it?" Ritsudo challenged, Scortura glaring at the boy.

"Kusanagi… you're the annoying one. You discovering the nature of Kadingir was unexpected to the overall plan… then again, I suppose you could say it's because of that quick thinking that things began so soon." Scortura's words directly mocked Ritsudo, the boy merely scoffing.

"Pulling the "it's all your fault" card on me huh? Typical high horse villains." Ritsudo muttered, Scortura scoffing.

"Perhaps. But… I do wish that darn dream had held this boy longer… hmph, troublesome girl, interfering in her own way. I only need enough time to destroy the lot of you though. He says he wants to reach all of you again… I wonder how he'd react to seeing the very people he's trying to reach dead at his feet? How far would he fall into despair learning his fight was for nothing?" Scortura hummed, Kyomei growled, Tsubas gasping as he pulled out his pendant.

" _Fugite Verum Vijaya zillz!"_ Kyomei practically screamed the activation phrase, immediately forming his Armed Gear as a bow, Scortura deflecting the shot with a casual twirl of his spear, smirking at Kyomei. "Try me… we beat you before, we'll do it again!"

"We'll see about that." Scortura mused, Finé chuckling again.

"I am not the only one who has awoken as Finé, nor is he the only one to awaken as Scortura." The woman continued, gesturing to her companion, "Throughout history, my blood and his have coursed through great men and heroes. Every time a major technological change occurred and a paradigm shift happened, we were there."

"The Symphogear system…" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei lowering his bow as he hit the same realization.

"Those toys were side products, to help siphon money from politicians." Finé stated, glancing at Ritsudo, "Though some proved more… interesting. Like your friends Kusanagi. Once it was developed, it fled on it's own… frankly I'm surprised it chose someone like you, Narukami Ritsudo. Observing you has been about as interesting as Tachibana Hibiki."

"Then Kanade died for your side project?!" Tsubasa snapped.

"And that's why you took me in and worked with America?!" Chris shouted.

" _Notable amount of hate on the US here, as I've noticed."_ Ritsudo thought, his tense expression temporarily breaking into a miffed one.

"That's right. It was all for Kadingir!" Finé declared, and as her arms spread wide, the ground began shaking as violently as if an earthquake had began, but, a grating sound came as well, the eyes of the Gear user's widening as from the very earth itself rose a tower reaching high, the tower formed from the very same structure that was previously the elevator shaft of the 2nd Division HQ. Ritsudo notably looked the most perturbed. Having guessed such an event, it made the truth an all the more bitter pill to swallow in the face of this tower reaching to the sky that now shadowed the city below. "This is it! That which rises from the earth, and fires the shot that reaches the heavens. The particle cannon, Kadingir!"

"Shot that… reaches… the heavens…" Ritsudo slowly muttered, his expression less of shock compared to the others and more… flatly unamused, remembering a certain quip of his he'd said ever so jokingly months ago, "You have _got_ to be kidding me… how did I guess this?!"

"You're going to use this to restore the split worlds?" Chris shouted, a seeming ignorance of Ritsudo having a completely different reaction than everyone else abound.

"Yes, by shooting out the Moon." Finé stated, Ritsudo's expression becoming even flatter than before, then snapping a hand up.

" _Nobody_ repeat what she just said! We don't need that! Let's just get to the why." Ritsudo snapped, the others shutting their mouths as they went to speak, what they _were_ going to say being obvious, _"But seriously, how in the name of hell did I guess this?! That was a throwaway line, a freaking joke!"_

"I merely wished to be with Him." Finé murmured, the five Gear user's all bearing confused expressions, "That was why I built the tower of the plains of Shinar, to reach Him. But He refused to allow anyone to reach the heavens in which He dwelt. In His wrath, he struck down the tower with a bolt of lightning, and destroyed our language as well! An endless punishment, the Curse of Balal."

"Why do you think the Moon has always been a symbol of disharmony for humanity?" Scortura posed the question, leaning on his spear, Finé bearing a bitter scowl, her servant more collected.

"It's because the Moon is the source of the Curse of Balal!" Finé yelled, looking towards the moon itself, glaring like she was facing an enemy, "This curse stops humans from understanding one another. By destroying it, I'll put an end to it. And once again, the world will be one!"

"End the curse?" Chris mocked, Finé looking to the girl as the tower began glowing, already beginning to charge, "Does that mean you're going to rule the world? Cheap! Unbelievably tawdry!"

"I live for eternity. No one can stop me." Finé mocked, Ritsudo scoffing in return.

"Hehe, then I guess people like us will just keep rising up to stop you then!" Ritsudo smirked, holding his pendant high, light glinting off of it, "Everyone, let's go!"

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron!"_

" _Killiter Ichaival tron!"_

Four more lights shone as the others donned their armors, all five warriors brandishing their weapons, Chris firing at Finé and Scortura without a moment to waste, the two enemies leaping from their perch, the girls setting on Finé while Ritsudo and Kyomei leapt for Scortura, the two being attack using their own weapons to fend off the teenagers as they struck at once, Finé's whips lashing through the air to strike while Scortura's spear darted around as he twirled the weapon to block the sword blows and projectiles launched by Kyomei.

It was hardly a fight one could say was in the Symphogear's favor. Being faced with a complete Relic and another that was far stronger, all of their blows either did next to no damage or were easily defended. But, the plan wasn't to defeat the enemies before them, as Chris had seemingly veered off from the fighting beforehand, Finé turning away from knocking Hibiki aside to see Chris preparing to launch two warheads at the tower.

"So _that's_ what you kids are planning? Smart, but you'll never take down the tower." Scortura mocked, Ritsudo giving a bitter slick of his tongue as he stepped back from the lock, the red spear twirling as Kyomei fired at it, lowering his rifle form weapon.

"We won't let you stop Chris' attack! Either of you!" Kyomei shouted, aiming at Finé as Chris fired the first missile, Finé dodging it in midair, catching it's trajectory as she fell, growling as the shots fired by Kyomei bounced off of her armor like specks, a swipe from her whip destroying the missile… but there was one she hadn't gone and accounted for either.

The second… which Chris herself was riding, to the shock of the other's.

"Eh?! Chris what're you doing?! That wasn't the plan!" Ritsudo shouted, the other three just as shocked as Chris rode the projectile high above the tower.

"No matter how hard you fight, they're just toys!" Finé shouted, "You cannot stop Kadingir!"

And then, the song none of the Gear users wanted to hear, was _exactly_ what they heard as Chris reached the height of her ride….

 _ **Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal.**_

"The hell is she thinking?!" Ritsudo yelped.

"It can't be…" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei's eyes the widest of the lot.

"Her Swan Song?!" Hibiki gasped, Scortura humming in mock amusement as the air gained a violet hue to it.

 _ **Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zizzl.  
Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal.  
Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zizzl.**_

The sight was odd to call beatufial, butterfly like wings forming behind Chris' figure as she brought out to smaller guns that expanded outwards, forming a cannon of her own that charged rapidly in time to Kadingir readying to fire, the dread on the faces of the other Gear users only growing, the blinding light coming from Kadingir firing only compounding by the energy Chris herself fired from her weapon, everything coming down to the two beams colliding with one another, the struggle halting it… Ritsudo's own dread only grew more as he noted on thread of light coming from his Gear and heading towards Chris up above, one wavering thread that, as the beams continued to struggle, Chris' weapon losing out, carried one thought down to Ritsudo as Chris was overtaken.

" _Thank you, for saving me."_

The thread faded away as the beams did, silent shock as all present could only watch, an entire section of the moon cracking and floating off, Finé looking downright enraged at that being the only result.

"It didn't destroy it? She knocked it off course?!" The eternal woman gasped, the four remaining Gear users in shocked silence, Ritsudo gritting his teeth and gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, and coming into view was a falling glimmer of red light, the four's eyes widening as it was clear to see that it was Chris who was falling, the girl vanishing behind the trees of the woods, only a resounding crash giving any sign of presence.

Both one of finality and dread at what was the likely result, Hibiki's pained scream sounding out shortly after, Ritsudo's body shuddering as his free hand twitched, his expression between pain and disbelief, only accented as Hibiki broke down into tears, Finé glaring up at the moon shard that was drifting down, Scortura watching with a blank expression.

"No… we were finally friends." Hibiki choked out, "This isn't fair… it isn't happening. I wanted to talk with her more. If we can't talk, we can't fight… and we can't become even better friends!"

"Ritsudo?" Kyomei murmured, noting the silence from his fellow Tuner… it was a bitter, angry silence at that.

"Darn that girl… why does she always run off without telling anyone?!" Ritsudo growled, balling his free hand tightly.

"So she killed herself, to stop the strike on the Moon." Finé scoffed, laughing, "What a waste."

"She's not dead." Ritsudo muttered, Finé raising a brow, "She's not dead, you hear me?!"

"She used the Swan Song. You truly believe that girl survived such a thing? You're hopeless if you're that naïve… you're deluding yourself." Scortrua stated, Ritsudo glaring at both offenders, a red gleam in his eyes and a blaze haze around his body.

"Maybe I am… maybe I'm just too scared to think about losing someone I care about again… but Chris is alive… and even if she _is_ dead, then I'll pull that girl right back to the world of the living, you got it?! So don't you dare say she's dead, and don't you dare call her a waste!" Ritsudo shouted, Finé laughing.

"Pitiful child. That girl was a fool. Her dream will never come true." Finé mocked, Ritsudo's glower only growing in intensity, while Hibiki looked even _worse,_ her eyes completely red, a dark shadow covering her body, slowly but surely creeping through, Tsubasa and Kyomei looking angry in their own rights at the mockery.

"Did you laugh?!" Tsubasa growled, "Did you just see someone sacrifice their life to protect what they loved? And did you laugh and call it useless?!"

"You're twisted… you're the worst kind of person!" Kyomei screamed, he and Tsubasa aiming their weapons at Finé, Scortura giving a dry chuckle.

"You children really are fools… grk?!" The man gasped as he lurched, his features "glitching" again, a growl coming through him, "Now?! Of all times… now?!"

"You're both so dead." Ritsudo growled, but, he halted when a far more vicious growl sounded from behind him, one angrier, more animalistic... and terrifying from who it came from.

"Are those…" Hibiki growled, her body entirely covered in shadow, a beastly snarl on her shadowed face, her eyes angry red orbs of fury, "Are those the words of the person who destroyed her life and her dream?!"

It was a roar purely animalistic in nature, like all human sense had been lost to rage, the shock of the sight making the black haze around Ritsudo fade, he, Kyomei, and Tsubasa staring at Hibiki in shock, Finé however, smirking.

"Hibiki? Hey, Hibiki!" Ritsudo shouted, Finé laughing, earning an ireful glare yet again.

"The Gungnir fragments, fused within her, have gone out of control." Finé stated, "Soon, her consciousness will be overwhelmed by a power she cannot control."

"Were you experimenting on Tachibana?!" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei growling himself, then aiming his weapon at Scortura as the dark Tuner chuckled.

"What do you think? A Relic/Human hybrid would be a question anyone would want an answer too… your friend just provided one." Scortura stated, grabbing his spear again despite the wavering of his appearance, "Lady Finé, are we done prosing… I'm about ready to kill these brats."

"Of course… time is on our side however… but, I want to see it. To see this girl be taken over by Gungnir and cease to be human." Finé mused, Ritsudo snarling again, "Oh? Did I touch a soft spot on you?"

"Yeah, ya' did… multiple times." Ritsudo stated, glancing at Hibiki as she continued snarling, "I won't let that happen Hibiki… I swear…"

"Is that what you were aiming for with Hibiki, for Kanade?!" Kyomei shouted, jumping back when Scortura struck at him, Tsubasa blocking a blow as well. Hibiki, in the rage, lashed out, leaping at Finé like a rabid animal on the attack, the force of the blows sending out shockwaves, Finé seeming to be amused by the berserk Symphogear lashing at her, the other three preoccupied with Scortura holding them up.

"Ggh… damn what is with this guy?! You two kicked his tail before, why is he so much tougher now?!" Ritsudo snapped, skidding back from a parried blow, Tsubasa and Kyomei standing in front of him, "Huh?"

"Ritsudo, go help Hibiki, get her out of that state… Tsubasa and I will deal with this one." Kyomei stated, Ritsudo looking between his two elders.

"We have someone we have to save as well! We leave Tachibana to you, Narukami! Let us save our friend as well." Tsubasa stated, Ritsudo taking a moment and nodding, turning and running off to the other fight, Scortura scoffing as Tsubasa and Kyomei readied their weapons, the threads of light denoting the start of Synchronization forming.

"I'm not holding back anymore. DO you two honestly expect to have the same result you did the last time we fought?" Scortura hummed, Kyomei readying a shot on his bow.

"Yeah… except this time, we're expecting a little help. Koto, if you're in there and fighting right now, please… hurry and beat this guy. We'll hold him off until you do." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa nodding.

"So perservere a but longer! We got your message, we'll continue to fight as well!" Tsubasa stated, Scortura chuckling as he bounced his spear on his shoulder.

"Adorable… I can't wait to see you two despair at losing!"

Ritsudo glanced back as the fight between the veterans and their possessed friend began anew, the clashing of weapons and all sounding as the blurs of a fight started, the white haired boy turning back to Hibiki's enraged combat with Finé.

"Hibiki!" Ritsudo called out, Finé chuckling as she knocked Hibiki aside.

"She's no longer human. She is pure destruction in human form!" Finé shouted, Hibiki lunging at her again, striking mercilessely at the barrier that was formed, Finé smirking at the attack again, Ritsudo lifting an arm as another shockwave shot out while a cloud of dust spurt upwards, the dust clearing to reveal Finé seemingly injured, but despite the grievous wound, practically being cut in two, not only was there no blood to be seen, the woman looked _thrilled_ as her body began stitching itself back together.

"What the hell?" Ritsudo muttered, looking back to Kyomei and Tsubasa's fight and Finé, Hibiki bursting out of the rubble with a roar, "Hibiki, stop it! If you keep this up, it'll only get worse! Come on, can't you hear me?!"

Hibiki stopped for a moment, lurching around and looking at Ritsudo, the boy gasping a bit as he took a step back.

"Apparently, you can hear me then." Ritsudo muttered, swinging his sword to block as Hibiki then lunged at _him_ in her blind rage, Ritsudo knocking her back, gritting his teeth as the enraged girl skid to a stop and charged again, the sword being barred once more, "I didn't want to aim this sword at you Hibiki…"

"Well? How does it feel boy, to be crossing blades with your closest friend?" Finé hummed, standing upright as her body finished repairing, looking between both bouts going on in front of her, Scortura not losing ground against his opponents while Hibiki relentlessly lunged at Ritsudo, who kept blocked and deflecting her strikes as he dodged around, "Well, things are becoming interesting… I wonder, how will these fights between friends play out, hmm?"

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Three TBCs in a row. YEESH. Well, that's a finale for you I suppose. Man, and this chapter was a one sitter, barely any breaks between parts. But, that's the fun of it. Well, next time, the clashes between friends escalate and more, as this part of the story reaches it's climax! Hehe, keep up and you'll see how things go. And again, got any questions, feel free to PM me, and be sure to leave a review sayin' what ya' liked or any critiques! See ya next chapter!**


	15. Stanza XV

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XV: Trill of Souls**

Neither fight was going well for both sides. Hibiki's enraged state was pushing Ritsudo's defensive measures past what they could manage against her, only avoiding being skewered by her now clawed hands by speed alone, deflecting the strikes he could dodge, his thoughts racing as he tried to think of a way to break Hibiki out of her berserker state.

Kyomei and Tsubasa were hardly faring against Scortura's darting spear, their combined attacks being swatted away or dodged unlike the previous time they'd fought and managed to overwhelm the black armored enemy, but, like before, a lull in Scortura's actions provided an opening, his chest being slammed by a volley of shots fired by Kyomei, Scortrua skidding back and leaning down to dodge Tsubasa's follow up slash, flipping off of one hand and landing a ways away from the two, letting out a long breath.

"Even if I can stop these two… tch, they're only fighting to buy time, which isn't on my side for once." Scortura muttered, clenching his spear, "Fine then… I'll simply end this before that brat surfaces again!"

Kyomei and Tsubasa gasped when Scortura's spear glowed with a flowing aura, the man throwing it up into the air before following it, flipping around and kicking the spear downwards, the weapon splitting off into shards they all glowed with the same aura as they arced through the air.

 _ **-Raining Disaster-**_

Tsubasa responded by dropping an expanded sword down before her and Kyomei to block the storm of shards raining down on them, the thorn like shards embedding themselves into the metal, one more stike following that broke the massive sword in two, Kyomei and Tsubasa diving to the side to aboid being skewered as Scortura skid to a stop, twirling his spear again as he stood straight.

"Tch. I'm getting sluggish now that I'm losing control." Scortura clicked his tongue in annoyance, facing his opponents again, but stealing a glance at Ritsudo and Hibiki's own fight, "And here you two are, leaving your juniors to fight amongst themselves."

"It's because we believe Ritsudo can do it." Kyomei firmly stated, "If anyone can get through to Hibiki better than either of us, it's him!"

"He's strong enough. And we're not done until you've been defeated either!" Tsubasa shouted, Scortura blocking both attacks sent at him with his spear, giving a tilted, flat look at the two as their weapons grated against his.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Damn… I'm not gonna get anywhere playing defense like this." Ritsudo, meanwhile, growled as he was knocked backwards again, planting his sword in the ground to form an impromptu brake, pulling the sword out to block as Hibiki lashed at him again, "Hibiki, listen to me! You need to calm down and stop this!"

Only a feral growl came in response, Ritsudo giving an annoyed groan, pushing Hibiki back and flipping his weapon around so the blunt side was facing Hibiki, raising it above his right shoulder and striking, the blow knocking Hibiki away with a burst of black winds, and his attention turned as Finé laughed.

"I'm impressed, boy. Kusanagi answering to you is truly interesting… then again, that was part of my experiment. A Relic bearing sentience… I was curious who it'd choose. A shame I didn't get more time to observe you." Finé stated, Ritsudo looking back when Kadingir began glowing again, Tsubasa and Kyomei spotting it as well as they dove away from Scortura's continued assault against them.

"Of _course_ that damn thing can fire more than once…" Ritsudo grumbled, Finé chuckling.

"No matter how great a weapon Kadingir is, if it can only fire one round, it's a failure." Finé stated, throwing a hand out towards the towering weapon, "It can fire as many shots as it needs. That is why I gave it the immortal blade, Durandal, to power it's energy reactor. An infinite heart that never stops beating."

"Then I guess I just need to beat you myself!" Ritsudo shouted, Finé raising a brow, "The quickest way to kill a dragon is to cut off it's head. If you go down, and if your pal loses control, then nobody will be left to operate this damn tower!"

Ritsudo gave a breath as Hibiki rose in front of him again, Kyomei and Tsubasa watching as he lowered his blade, spinning it and planting it into the ground as Hibiki charged him again, a calm look on his face as he looked her dead on as her hand reared back…

And in a spurt of blood and metal shards, Ritsudo took the blow aimed at his chest, and with the momentum fading, his arms moved up and embraced Hibiki, the others present gasping at the sight, blood dripping from the fingers of HIbiki's right hand, Ritsudo's blood.

"Ritsudo…" Kyomei murmured, the name being the only thing he could say to voice his shock as Hibiki fell limp in Ritsudo's arms as he tightened his hold on her, a calm smile on his face despite the line of blood coming from his mouth.

"I thought you said your power was supposed to bring people together." Ritsudo stated, giving a look to Tsubasa, who only nodded, knowing what to do as she drew a dagger from her armor, tossing it into Hibiki's shadow, pining her in place with the same trick she'd used against Chris in their first bout against one another, Ritsudo stepping back and putting a hand on Hibiki's head, "So… don't go and use that power for this… it's not… fitting for you."

Silence fell as Ritsudo fell back onto the ground, and as if in response, tears came from Hibiki's eyes even if the shround around her didn't fade, Kyomei and Tsubasa's eyes wide as they stared in silence at Ritsudo's seemingly still figure laying on the rubble.

"Hmph… the next one to fall is the foolish child? Hmph… he was a fooled indeed, thinking he could escape the fate he cursed himself with." Scortura huffed, turning to Kyomei and Tsubasa as the two started growling silently, "What, have you two finally snapped? Time is already out… once Kadingir fires again, you'll all have lost. Face it… your defeat was inevitable."

"No… we haven't." Kyomei muttered, "We'll keep fighting no matter what! As long as there's something to fight for and people to save, we'll continue to fight, you got it! DO YOU HEAR ME KOTO! HURRY YOUR ASS UP ALREADY! We're out here fighting, so stop screwing around and beat this guy!"

"Kyomei… we have to stop that thing from firing." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei nodding as he reformed his dual swords into a bow, "Let's take on the both of them!"

"Not a problem!" Kyomei stated, Scortura giving a huff while Finé just readied her whips.

"So, you insist on being swords?" Finé challenged, both Symphogear's raising their weapons at their respective targets.

"Even if I shatter and die today, I will still sing tomorrow, as a person. Kazanari Tsubasa does not sing only on the battlefield!"

"I'll stand until this bow can't fire another arrow. I'm the vanguard, it's my job to strike out and clear the way before anyone else! And I'll open one right now… to the future you two are trying to steal!"

"Hehehe… then come at me, Vijaya… see how far you get with that measily bow you're so proud of." Scortura mocked, lurching again in a still moment, Kyomei giving a smirk.

"Please Koto… buy us a bit more time. And… I wanna apologize. Because…"

 _ **(cue Love Deterrence/Koi no Yokshiryuko)**_

"We're about to do something very foolish." Tsubasa finished, she and Kyomei hardening their looks as they shot forward to attack, their joined voices yelling out in song as they struck, Tsubasa twirling as she slashed at Finé after closing the gap in an instant, cutting through her whips with a flash of blue and shooting forward through the gap, Kyomei peppering Scortura's armor with shots from his bow, the arrows of light arcing through the air at their target, Kyomei twirling the bow into it's sword form and rushing Scortura, both attacks from the pair hitting in tandem and knocking their foes into the wall of the tower, the two singers standing back to back with their weapons at the ready again.

A nod came from the two, Tsubasa jumping into the air and throwing her blade, forming the massive blade which she launched with a thrust, Kyomei forming his rifle and firing a charged shot, coating the sword in red as Tsubasa propelled it forward with a mighty kick to it's base.

 _ **-Crimson Heaven's Dragon Scale-**_

Finé responded to the attack by forming a layered shield in front of her and Scortura, who tried to attack with his spear only for his arm to lock up on him, and when the crimson coated blade met the shields, Kyomei shot into the air and joined Tsubasa in propelling it forward, their song raising in volume as they pushed the attack forward, Scortura's eyes widening as rather than actually push through the shield, the massive blade lurched forward, Tsubasa holding two blades of her own, flames bursting from her armor as she shot into the air, Kyomei following with his own thrust behind him, aiming his weapon down as Finé lashed out at them with her whips, but, the lashing weapons struck both Harmonic and Tuner, interrupting the very move they'd decided on.

* * *

" _We can't… we can't fail here…"_ Kyomei's mind went blank as he felt himself begin to fall, blinking at the odd feeling of weightlessness to him, looking around to see a blank void around him.

" _Geez… didn't I already say not to give up and keep fighting?"_

Kyomei gasped as he heard the familiar voice, looking over to see Koto staring at him from nearby, a jolly look on his elder's face.

" _You two interrupted me… tch, "about to do something very foolish", Tsubasa should know better by now."_ Koto mused, Kyomei blinking, _"Kanade's got her own stint to say… but, remember Kyomei, you're Tsubasa's new second wing. So keep flying, got it? And I'll see ya' on the other side soon. Don't keep me waiting now!"_

* * *

Tsubasa and Kyomei returned to the world as they both fell side by side, and mid fall, Kyomei moved his hand and grabbed Tsubasa's, nodding to himself in the feeling of the world slowing.

" _Koto's right about that… I am Tsubasa's second wing. I'm here to support her… so as long as I can hold this hand…"_ Kyomei's thoughts were answered by Tsubasa passing him a renewed sword, both flipping in the air and whipping the blades out, flames shooting from the weapons into fiery wings, the two launching up from one of the struts of the tower and higher up than before, _"I'll help her fly as high as she wants to and further than even that!"_

The two yelled as they shot past the attacks Finé and Scortura desperately flung at them, the red flames turning blue as they rushed forward, Finé gasping as the attack struck Kadingir, the tower beginning to show cracks that soon expanded outwards, light bursting from the tower as it then burst into pieces, Finé screaming as light burst around the area, a sole twinkle falling from the fading light, a twinkle in the air that fell right near the fallen Ritsudo.

"I'm going to fail again?!" Finé shouted, Scortura giving a scoff.

"Idiots… they'd sacrifice themselves to destroy the tower? How foolish are these people?!" Scortura growled, he and Finé stare at the shell of the tower, Scortura then turning his attention to Hibiki and Ritsudo as the dagger holding Hibiki's shadow vanished, the black cloak fading and her gear vanishing, Hibiki's face the picture of shock as she stared at the blackened shell of the tower and the seemingly unmoving Ritsudo at her feet.

"Tsubasa-san… Kyomei-san… Ritsu…" Hibiki murmured, tears at her eyes as she looked around at the devastation around her, Finé lashing around with her whips as Scortura watched her, leaning on his spear, a hand near his face as his visage flickered.

"I hate all of you!" Finé screamed, glaring at Hibiki, "The destruction of the moon would have removed the Curse of Balal, while causing a gravity collapse. Humanity was supposed to tremble as natural disasters shook the planet, and then return to me and the power of my relics! Pain is the only thing that can bind humanity together! It's the only thing that's real!"

"You're… wrong about that…"

Hibiki looked up from her hopeless expression as she heard Ritsudo's voice, the Tuner slowly standing upright, gripping something in his right hand as he grabbed his sword's hilt to lean on it, Finé staring at him in shock as he stood up.

"Ritsu… you're alive…" Hibiki muttered, Ritsudo wiping the blood off of his mouth.

"It'd take a lot more than that to kill me. I just don't have Tsubasa's pain tolerance is all." Ritsudo stated, returning Finé's glare with a solid look of his own, "You're dead wrong that pain is the only thing that can connect people. There's a lot more to us than that!"

"Oh really?!" Finé growled, kicking Ritsudo right in the chest, sending him flying backwards, smashing her whips down on him, "If there really is more that can bind humanity, than what is it huh?! What makes you think you know that answer?!"

Ritsudo was thrown away, rolling across the ground and struggling up again, Finé stomping her foot down on his head.

"I don't… at least, not an entire answer." Ritsudo responded, clenching whatever was in his hand, "But… pain doesn't bind people… positive emotions, friendship, love, actually _giving a damn_ about others. _That's_ what really connects people."

"You're naïve." Finé muttered, Ritsudo giving a chuckle.

"Maybe I am. But I'd rather be a naïve fool than some twisted bitch who thinks hurting others is the only way we can form bonds!" Ritsudo spat, Finé responding by kicking him away, Hibiki watching in stunned silence as Finé continued to brutalize Ritsudo in her rage, flinging the boy away again, Ritsudo rolling to a stop in front of Hibiki, struggling up in pain.

"Ritsu, stop! If you keep this up, you'll keep getting hurt… please… don't." Hibiki muttered, Ritsudo panting as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"I won't give up… not when the others didn't. We have to win if we wanna see them again. I won't stop until I can't move anymore!" Ritsudo shouted, FIné scoffing as he stood up.

"Scortura, finish him. I'm sick of this boy already. He's no longer interesting." Finé muttered, Scortura nodding and walking forward, spinning his spear as he approached the remaining Symphogear users.

"Even with Kadingir destroyed, at the least, I can get some satisfaction out of killing you two." Scortura stated, Ritsudo smirking as his arm locked up when he tried to move his spear, "You?! Tch, stay down you damn pest!"

"Hey… Koto, or whatever your name is, you can hear me, right?" Ritsudo muttered, Scortura looking at him with wide eyes as Ritsudo then showed what was in his hand, a Tuner pendant, Hibiki's eyes looking to the pendant, "Cause if you can… hurry your ass up and take control… 'cause I've got your partner right here!"

"Foolish child… what do you think that'll do?!" Scortura snapped, beginning to move the spear forward, Ritsudo glancing back at HIbiki.

"Hibiki, listen to me… the others aren't gone. I can feel it… we can't stop now… now when they gave their all to fight, so we can't just stand around!" Ritsudo snapped, dodging Scortura's thrust and driving the hand holding the pendant forward, slamming the item into one of the gashes in the chest armor, "Because if this guy won't stop, the neither will we! So come on! If you really are in there, prove it to these bastards you're winning!"

"You're a fool!" Scortura growled, then he froze, shock on his face as the flickering in his fatures slowed, settling more on Koto's than his, "N-No! How… how are you fighting back?!"

"Simple!" Koto snapped, Ritsudo smirking, and Hibiki showing a surprised face, "I've gotten plenty of help! _Cantato Ruyi Jingu Bang zillz!"_

"DAMN YOUUU!"

Scortura's roar was died out as a pillar of light shot up around him to Koto's voice ringing outwards, Ritsudo and falling backwards from the force of the burst, Hibiki catching him as he stumbled, both staring as Finé looked at the pillar of light in shock.

"Impossible… how were you able to fight back against his control?!" Finé shouted, dodging when an attack was sent her way, a black and gold rod extending from the pillar of light, the weapon retreating before a twirl of it split the pillar, Koto standing proudly in his former armor, now changed to be more ornate than two years prior, and he spun his staff around before planting it in the ground, rolling a shoulder as he adjusted.

"Like I said, I had plenty of help, both outside and in." Koto stated, looking at his weapon as he held it up, "Nice to see ya' again partner. Sorry it took this long, but I'm back in action!"

"Who… are you?" Hibiki asked, Koto giving a chuckle as he turned to the other two.

"A friend of Kyomei and Tsubasa's. Koto Cadenza, at your service." Koto introduced, bowing a bit before turning around, batting aside Finé's whip as she lashed it at him, looking up at the wrecked tower, "Seems I got back later than expected. Hagh, Kyomei, Tsubasa, you really did do something stupid. Heh…. Guess I'll just have to wake them up then."

"How dare… you honestly think you have a chance?!" Finé snapped, stopping when Koto shot forward, the tip of his staff just _barely_ touching her face, a burst of air following behind him.

 _ **(cue Kimi dake no Boku de Iru Kara by Gackt!)**_

"Oh, I do. It's about time I get some payback for the last two years!" Koto stated, spinning around and slamming Finé away with a quick swipe of his staff, matching the woman's lashes with her whips with rapid strikes as Finé tried to retreat, but the rushing assault from the returned Tuner continued as he shot into the air, his staff expanding as he brought it down, Finé blocking the heavy blow, gritting her teeth as she was pushed down, retreating out at the last moment as Koto slammed his staff into the dirt, standing atop it as Finé shot from the dust, jumping down and reclaiming his weapon, the clash continuing on as Koto's song rang out across the air.

"Holy shit… this dude's got us beat in terms of power." Ritsudo murmured, holding his chest, HIbiki still in shock, "C'mon, snap out of it… like we said, the others are fine… so we can't stop now."

"But the school's gone… we don't know if they are okay… so what… what are we doing this for? What are we fighting for?" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo sighing, standing up and looking to the ongoing fight, listening to Koto's song as it continued.

" _This song… it's about a foregone love, isn't it? He's fighting despite what he lost two years ago."_ Ritsudo thought, the grip on his sword tightening, awestruck at the show in front of him, at how Koto himself was smiling as he fought Finé, and the younger tuner swore he saw another flicker beside Koto, like someone was him, "He's not fighting alone… and neither are we!"

"Eh?" Hibiki hummed, Ritsudo turning to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What about everyone else, the others who have to be watching elsewhere?! Our friends in the 2nd Division, your friends from school?! We're fighting to save them, aren't we! Chris, Kyomei, and Tsubasa used everything they had to defend those people, and now, we've got a new ally fighting beside us too! So you can't give up here Hibiki! Come on, you don't want Kohinata chewing us out for giving up do you? What'll you say to the others if you just give up here?"

"But…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo shaking his head.

"They've gotta be fighting in their own way too! We can't just stop either because we're hurt." Ritsudo stated, turning back to the ongoing fight, Koto skidding back from a blow from Finé, light beginning to shine across the battlefield as dawn finally broke.

"You're all fools… bound by love? How can you believe in that?!" Finé shouted, Koto bracing himself, the woman letting out a melancholy breath, "A long, long time ago, I was a priestess in His service. But then one day… I fell in love with the creator God. But, I couldn't tell Him what I felt. Before I could, the true language was stolen from me, from humanity… the Curse of Balal stole from us the one language we could use to communicate with the creator!"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he _didn't_ want us to communicate with him?" Koto stated, Finé giving him a glare.

"You wouldn't understand boy! I struggled for millennia, alone, trying to fight the curse of Balal… so I could share with Him my feelings in the one, true language." Finé stated, Koto giving a breath.

"Strangely… I kinda get it. I can't really reach the person I love anymore either, even if I know she's still around. But… you're kind of a fool if you think you were alone. What with me being possessed by your most loyal companion and all." Koto stated, putting a hand behind his head, "I don't know how that guy felt about you, but I definitely cared enough to want to help."

"You're telling me I'm wrong?! You barely even know what love is!" Finé snapped, Koto wordlessely blocking her strike with a spin of his staff.

"You're wrong again. Because I do. I lot the person I loved two years ago. I fell into despair because I didn't know what I'd do without her… but, now I do. I'll keep fighting, to find what's past this battlefield, so I can tell her what's on the other side! I'll continue to smile so that her dreams can live on through me and those she cared about!" Koto pushed Finé back, and when she struck again, her attack was instead blocked by Ritsudo, holding his sword steady, Koto blinking as the younger boy struck back, Finé jumping away, "You're the new kid…"

"Yeah, Narukami Ritsudo, nice to meet ya'." Ritsudo answered, lifting his sword at Finé, "Look… I feel like the others who aren't here are trying to help themselves… we've got to hold out against her while they do… and hope Hibiki get's back up."

"That's the girl who uses the Gungnir now, right?" Koto asked, Ritsudo nodding, the older young man giving a chuckle, "Hmph, well, I guess it'll be up to us to help put some light back into those eyes right? Sure you can fight though?"

"It's just some light cuts and a couple broken ribs. I can manage just fine as long as I can swing my sword at least one more time." Ritsudo stated, Koto nodding, the two shooting back into the fight, Finé scoffing as she returned their blows.

"Why is he still fighting? Where is Ritsu finding it… what's keeping him going?" Hibiki murmured, her eyes dully following the two on one bout, Finé using her weapons to lock the other two in place.

"I'm done experimenting with all of you… If I can't destroy the moon, I'll at least destroy all of you!" Finé lashed the weapons and pushed the two assaulting her back, though as she struck again, she froze when a crackle resounded in the air, the faint sound of multiple voices singing coming through, "What an awful sound! What is that?!"

"The school song?" Ritsudo murmured, recognizing the lyrics, looking around to see a busted but someone functioning speaker blaring the song, a smile crossing his face, "I knew it!"

"What is this?" Finé growled, Koto giving a hum.

"You were right. Heh, you've all got a bunch of good friends." Koto hummed.

"Y'hear that Hibiki? Their all okay! So if you want a reason to keep going, then make it getting back to your friends! We're here to help… even if it takes a miracle to do it… actually, I'd appreciate one of those right about now." Ritsudo stated, all of them looking around as orbs of light began drifting up, Finé looking at them in disgust.

"Where is this awful song coming from?! Song!?" Finé seemed to see the fault she just reached, looking to the three Symphogear's, Hibiki slowly rising up from the ground.

"I can hear it… I can hear their voices." Hibiki murmured, managing to bring a smile to her face as she grasped a hand, "I'm so glad… everyone's been there for me. Everyone is singing. So… I can still sing. I can still do this… I can still fight!"

"Right on the money!" Ritsudo chuckled, Hibiki shooting to her feet, a determined look on her face, Finé shooting back as a burst came from all three, light shrouding all of them, and she gasped as three more lights rose up from those she thought had fallen, staring in shock at those before her.

"They can still fight? What's keeping all of you going? What are you holding that's giving you power?! Is it because of that horrible song?!" Finé gasped, the lights only growing brighter by the second, "Impossible. What are you wearing? I destroyed her heart, so how are all of you still fighting?! What _are_ you wearing? Is that what I made?! What is it?!"

"We've got one answer for you Finé." Ritsudo stated, the six lights all bursting skywards in pillars, and from where they had fallen, Kyomei, Tsubasa, and Chris stood strong, a resounding melody coming from all six Symphogear's, the six shooting into the air, one word coming from Ritsudo and Hibiki as they were rejoined by their friends.

" **SYMPHOGEAR!"**

The one word rang out as lights filled the dawn sky, wings heralding the renewed power of the six Symphogear's… wings of light signaling the turning of the tide.

And with it, a song that would led to victory.

 _ **To be concluded…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Holy mother of HECK did I enjoy this! Oh did I hit a stride here! Hehehehehehaahaha! Oh this, will, be, EPIC! See you all next time for the finale of the first season!**


	16. Stanza XVI

Symphogear Trill

 **Stanza XVI: Symphogear**

The six Symphogear's in the sky could be called reminiscent of angels as the dawn sunlight illuminated the shining white forms their armors had taken in the moment that could only be called a miracle of itself, the white accented by the main colors of their Gears as wings of light furled out behind them.

Amid the girls' gears singular set of wings colored the marking colors of their gears, the Tuner's stood out with multiple wings apiece, Ritsudo showing six sky blue wings coming from his back, Kyomei bearing three red wings, two on the right with one on the left, Koto bearing four wings colored a brilliant gold.

And Finé could only stare the six above her in shock.

"Symphogears that everyone's song gave us. Guess we got that miracle I asked for!" Ritsudo hummed, flexing a hand before closing it tightly.

"And it gives us the power to win." Hibiki added, "It gave Chris-chan, Tsubasa-san, and Kyomei-san the power to stand up again. Songs aren't only the power to fight. They're life!"

"A high-level phonic gain amplified even further by all six of you Synchronizing at once… I take it this is revenge for two years ago?" Finé muttered, past surprise to the point of deadpanning.

"That doesn't matter!" Chris shouted, though her lips didn't move one bit.

"Telepathy, too?" Finé grumbled, "Are you going to kill me, now that you have your unlimited Gears?!"

"You need to learn some new tricks!" Chris responded as Finé sent out Noise.

"Then all the Noise across the world was your fault?" Tsubasa inquired.

"The Noise are automated weapons, created so that humanity, with mutual understanding lost, would kill one another." Finé responded with the same mental link bonding the Symphogears.

"So humans would kill one another?" Hibiki gasped.

"Guess people had a bone to pick after she pissed off God." Said Ritsudo, whipping out his sword with a swipe of his arm.

"The door to the Treasury of Babylonia is stuck open." Finé smugly said, "I used what was a once-in-a-decade escape through that door, and made it a regular event. They are simply a source of power for me."

"I surprised she can be this smug in front of six amped up Symphogears." Koto hummed, Kyomei nodding in response to the statement.

"You'd think she'd know when she's lost…" Kyomei looked up towards the falling shard of the moon and back, "Though we've got plenty to deal with right now as it is."

The Gear users flitted out of the way as Finé's summoned Noise struck at them, the woman raising the Staff of Solomon high, light gathering at it's tip, firing a single bolt that split off, that single bolt spawning thousands of Noise that soon began filling the streets of the now abandoned city, filling the ground and the sky around the tower, Finé smirking as the swarm drowned the area.

"They're everywhere!" Hibiki noted, Ritsudo and Chris only snickering.

"Okay, I'll take 'em all out!" Chris sneered, Ritsudo bouncing his sword.

"A few hundred Noise against the six of us… how long is this gonna take us?" Ritsudo hummed, he and Chris slapping a short high five before she shot off, and as they other's left with Koto giving a chuckle after Kyomei sighed, Hibiki grabbed Ritsudo by the arm.

"Ritsu… I need to say…"

"If you're gonna apologize, you've got nothin' to say." Ritsudo stated, Hibiki blinking, the white-haired boy giving a light chuckle, "You heard me and came back to us on your own. For me, that's all that matters. Besides, I'm fine now, it doesn't even hurt anymore." He tapped a fist to his chest to prove the point, "So be proud of how strong you are. I'm certainly proud of my power now. So… wanna fight with me again?"

"Yes!" Hibiki nodded, Ritsudo nodding, the two shooting off to join the others as they flew to the city.

 _ **(cue First Love Song!)**_

It was hardly what one could say a "battle." The unlimited Gears the six teens now wielded ripped through the Noise swarm even easier than their normal Gears were capable of, what were previously blockable attacks by large Noise decimating multiple titan sized Noise with ease, Chris in particular making a show out of it with her Gear forming a veritable weapons platform that zoomed through the air raining lasers all through the sky.

"Since when the heck were we in a super robot show huh? Quit showin' off!" Ritsudo snickered.

"Amazing, she's shooting blindly!" Hibiki chuckle, Ritsudo snickering again.

"I'm aiming at all of them!" Chris objected.

"Hah! That's just indiscriminate firing then!" Ritsudo added, one swing of his blade cleaving away a swathe of the swarm in front of him as Hibiki clocked back her gauntlets.

"Then I'll fire randomly!" Hibiki called out, and from elsewhere on the field, the three veterans watched their younger companions go to town, Koto chuckling at the sight.

"Well, you two have made some interesting friends since I was gone." Koto mused, sitting on his extended staff, flipping off of it and letting it drop onto the Noise covered street, Kyomei and Tsubasa hovering near where he flew up too.

"Well, interesting is certainly one way to say it." Kyomei stated, aiming his bow skywards, red light gleaming across the weapon.

"But, they're our trusted companions! Fighting alongside them makes it all the worthwhile!" Tsubasa added, Kyomei nodding and releasing the shot, a rain of red bolts matched by blue as Tsubasa sent her own skywards, Koto giving a chuckle as he spun his staff around rapidly.

"Good to know!" Koto shouted, and the spinning from his staff eventually formed a vortex that lashed outwards, a move all too familiar to Kyomei and Tsubasa. A variant of one of Kanade's own techniques from back then. "Heh, these things are too easy!"

The air filled with myriads of explosions and shockwaves as the Symphogear's continued their extermination of the Noise, all six joining up when they sent dust flying through the city.

"Doesn't matter how many appear, the Noise are too easy!" Chris mused, Ritsudo nodding in agreement.

"Yeah… though I doubt our smug adversary down there is done yet." Ritsudo drew attention down to Finé back at the remains of Kadingir, the six's eyes widening when they saw the woman point the end of the Staff of Solomon right at her own chest, a smug grin showing before the woman pierced herself, though pained expression didn't last, guffawed looks around as Finé's own body latched onto the Staff, the woman smirking at them once more, the remaining Noise from the swarm then _all_ flying towards FIné, gathering into one massive amalgamate that just kept growing, _more_ Noise being summoned and absorbed immediately, the single point becoming a storm of green light and colors.

"She's been absorbed by Noise." Hibiki gasped, Koto shaking his head.

"No, _she's_ absorbing _them."_ Koto murmured, the six dodging out of the way as the amalgam form lashed out at them.

" _COME TO ME! DURANDAL!"_ FIné roared, another portion of the amalgamate lashing down the remains of the tower to reclaim the completed Relic, and with a gleam from the ground, the amalgam morphed into a creature that was snake like in form, it's entire body a dark, nearly black red, the "head" area internally marked by golden shades, that very same "head" firing a beam that _decimated_ the city where it struck. "Now you've made me mad."

The six Symphogear's tuned to see Finé within the "head" of the creature, holding the Durandal in her right hand.

"You're ready, right?" Finé mocked, launching another beam at the Symphogear's, their dodge and retaliation proving next to fruitful as their attacks either did no damage and only incurred in a counter attack, or damage that _was_ dealt was instantly negated by the creature's form instantly reforming from the damage that was dealt to it.

"Now _that_ just isn't fair!" Ritsudo grumbled, retreating from a storm of energy bolts sent his way.

"Even your unlimited Gears are mere toys, created from fragments of Relics! Don't think for a second that they're a match for a perfect Relic!" Finé declared, the teens then realizing the issue with Finé _also_ being able to talk to them mentally.

"Did you hear that?" Chris murmured.

"Let's turn off the channel." Tsubasa suggested.

"Then let's do it again!" Chris suggested.

"Uh, Chris, do you know the definition of insanity?" Ritsudo added, Chris giving him a look for the remark, though then all eyes turned to Hibiki, "But… I know what you guys mean."

"Huh?" Hibiki hummed, looking at the other five with a quizzical look on her face. "Uh… um… let's try!"

"All we can really do at this point." Koto hummed.

"I kind forgot you're about as quippy as Ritsudo." Kyomei murmured, his senior chuckling to himself.

"We'll clear a path ahead!" Tsubasa declared, Ritsudo and Kyomei nodding as they followed her and Chris, Chris swerving through the storm of lasers Finé fired at them, Tsubasa focusing as she held her blade, the already expanded sword becoming even _larger_ in her grip, Kyomei's bow expanding as well as he too focused, the two both unleashing further empowered versions of previous attacks at Finé, opening a hole in the construct _just_ large enough for Chris to enter, the girl firing point blank at Finé, who swatted aside the attacks but _also_ opened up her shields, gasping when she saw Ritsudo's readying a strike with the black winds swirling at his sword, Finé raising a shield to block the strike as Ritsudo shot forward, an explosion rocking through the construct, and from the smoke, the Durandal came flying out.

"There's our chance to push forward!" Ritsudo yelled, Hibiki gasping as the Durandal came sailing towards her, "Don't miss it, grab that thing Hibiki!"

"Wimp!" Chris shouted, shooting the Durandal with her pistols to bounce it along, Koto giving it one more boost with a blow from his staff, Hibiki rushing forward and grabbing the sword, a pulse shooting through the air.

"They were after Durandal?!" Finé gasped, and despite Hibiki showing resistance, her body was covered in a black shadow again, a pulse going through the air as she growled in resistance to the swords power, and with a burst from below, the others gave a cheer as their friends rushed out, Genjuuro leading the charge.

"That's it! Show her what you've got!" Genjuuro yelled, Hibiki's struggle to resist evident as the shadow over her body flickered, the other Gear users flying in, all taking position and grabbing the hilt of Durandal together.

"Come on Hibiki, you're stronger than this! Some stupid sword won't beat you!" Kyomei encouraged, Tsubasa nodding herself.

"Don't give in, Tachibana. Show me your resolve." Tsubasa stated.

"I bet everything on your because I believed in you! How come you can't believe in yourself?" Chris snapped.

"Don't let any of this go to waste. It's too damn soon to fall short!" Koto added, Ritsudo nodding as he gripped the Durandal as well, a black shadow shooting up his arm.

"If you can't do this on your own, then we'll all help! That's what friends are for, those who can fight alongside you and even those who can't!" Ritsudo stated, looking down to the others on the ground cheering them on, "So quit messing around and beat this sword! If you can't do it on your own, then I'll pull you right on back just like before, got it?!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL SILENCE YOU MYSELF!" Finé roared, the lashing from her out form failing as a barrier formed around the six Gear users as the other four grabbed Durandal as well.

"HIBIKI!" Miku yelled, and Ritsudo blinked when he felt thoughts reach him, _Hibiki's thoughts._

" _That's right. Right now, I'm…. I'm not alone!"_

" _Darn right you're not alone!"_ Ritsudo shouted through the brief link formed, _"So come on Hibiki, don't give in now, not when all your friends are watching and cheering us on!"_

" _Yeah… I won't let this impulse take me over!"_ Hibiki responded, the shadow around her body and Ritsudo's arm retreating, gleams coming from the points their shared scars were, a brilliant light shining from all six Symphogear's as the Durandal was raised high.

"That power… what is it?!" Finé shouted.

"The power given to us by everyone's song!" Hibiki declared.

"Our Symphogear!" Ritsudo finished, all six yelling as they brought the gleaming sword down in one mighty swing on their foe…

 _ **-SYNCRHOGAZER-**_

The sword of light descended and cut through the morphed beast around Finé, the woman's face pure shock as the construct around her began exploding in a storm, the destruction of both the Nehushtan used to form it, and the Durandal to destroy it, resounding in one massive explosion.

And in the wake of it, a quiet fell onto the now ruined city as the hectic battle came to a final close, those who'd fled into the shelters coming out onto the wrecked streets, and at the sight of Kadingir, the Symphogears and those of the 2nd Division and Hibiki's friends from Lydian stood there as Hibiki supported a limping Finé.

"What is wrong with you?" Finé muttered.

"You screwball." Chris chuckled.

"Eh, that's Hibiki for ya'. Kind to a fault, even to her enemies." Ritsudo chuckled, Hibiki setting Finé down on a suitable piece of rubble as a seat.

"Everyone tells me that." Hibiki lamented, "My best friend tells me I'm weird." Finé gave a bitter sigh, Ritsudo approaching from behind a bit slowly, almost cautiously, "Let's end this, Ryouko-san."

"I'm Finé…"

"But Ryouko-san is Ryouko-san." Hibiki stated, Ritsudo giving a slight shrug to that, Hibiki giving him a look, Ritsudo relenting by putting his hands up, "I'm sure we can understand each other!"

"Don't step on a landmine Hibiki…" Ritsudo murmured, looking up towards the moon with it's fragment floating there in place.

"Those people of the pre-historic civilization created the Noise." Finé stated, standing up and walking forward, "When we lost our shared language, we decided to kill each other, rather than taking each other's hands. Could such humans understand each other?"

"Humans created the Noise." Hibiki murmured.

"Well then, it's our responsibility as the current generation to clean up that mess… and, I certainly think we humans can understand each other, even without some shared language." Ritsudo stated, Hibiki looking at him, Finé giving an over the shoulder look at the boy, "I mean, look at me. I became embittered to the world because of circumstance not being very favorable to me. But in the end, because I met people who were willing to try and understand me, people who wanted to be my friends, and people I wanted to save… I became all the better for it. When an asshole like I was, can turn out as the sap I kind of am now… I think that's a good sign humans have come a long way since then."

"Naïve… that's why this was the only path I could take!" Finé snapped, grabbing one of her whips, and as Chris stepped forward, Koto put an arm in front of her, shaking his head, a moment of silence following everything as only the wind blew through the air.

"Like Ritsu said… we know there are things that can bind people tighter than words." Hibiki stated, Finé turning around and lashing at the two, and in the next moment, Finé came face with Hibiki's fist mere centimeters form her chest and the trip of Ritsudo's blade hovering _just_ between her eyes without touching her.

"I win!" Finé shouted, Ritsudo and Hibiki looking back to see the chain _still going,_ extending further and further, aimed right for the shard of the Moon, Finé screaming as she pulled on the suddenly tight chain, the ground cracking as she pulled, her armor being torn to shreds as she did it, but she _pulled the moon shard down,_ accelerating whatever fall it was going through before. "I'll bring down that fragment of the Moon! I'll destroy everything that stands in the way of my desires! Even if my body dies here, my soul will live on! As long as the Aufwachen wave forms and relics exist, I can revive as many times as necessary! In some other place, in some other time, I'll rule the world! I am the priestess that lives in an eternal moment… Finé!"

 _Tap_

Finé was silence when Ritsudo and Hibiki light tapped her with their weapons, Hibiki's fist tapping her chest, while the butt of Ritsudo's sword tapped her forehead, rending the woman silent at the light acts from the two.

"Man, you _really_ don't know when to give up." Ritsudo murmured.

"Yeah, that's right." Hibiki added, she and Ritsudo standing straight, "Some other place, some other time. When you revive, as many times as needed, tell everyone else for me… That you don't need power to bring the world together. That we can overcome words and become one. That in the future, we'll be able to hold each other's hands! I can't do that. Only you can, Ryouko-san."

"Soo… maybe consider being the bad next time you show up? Hehehe. You're still Ryouko as far Hibiki is concerned… and, I think the woman I've known for the past is still in there somewhere. So… see ya' next time, if we get the chance. Sorry I was such an ass before."

"You can't…" Finé muttered, though her features looked between hers and Ryouko, as if these moments of expended power were showing the woman from before again.

"I can entrust you with the future. I need to go protect the world now." Hibiki added.

"Well, not like we're gonna pull some grand sacrifice or something. That's all too cliché. It's just… not really our job at the moment. Saving the world comes first. Uniting it… well, I guess only people who can revive and keep their memories can do that." Ritsudo stated, flipping a hand about.

"You are a silly couple of kids." A blink, and Finé golden eyes became Ryouko's violet, cheery orbs, the woman tapping both Ritsudo and Hibiki on their chests, right where their scars were, "Keep believing in the song in your heart, both of you."

And with those final words, the woman that was Ryouko Sakurai faded into dust in the wind, a solemn silence in the air as all present watched the last remnants of the woman fade away into the setting sun, though off to the side, Ogawa, Sakuya, and Aoi had finished whatever calculations they'd been running.

"I just got it's trajectory. We can't avoid a direct impact." Sakuya muttered, the six Gear users staring up at the falling shard, Hibiki stepping forward, Miku gasping.

"I'll do something." Hibiki stated, a moment passing between the two friends, "I'll be back guys. Don't give up on living!"

"If it takes us a while, then it's probably just some government coverup and stuff like that. Like we'd go and pull some cliché crap right that the end. That's be such a lame copout to a story y'know?" Ritsudo mused, Kyomei tilting his head, not getting the joke while Koto's laugh told the senior _definitely_ knew what Ritsudo meant.

"Of course you're joking at a time like this." Chris lightly sighed, but the small grin on her face told she was also amused by the quip, Hibiki taking off first, a look passing between the other five before they followed the girl as she flew higher… the familiar words coming from her as she rose ever upwards.

 _ **Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal  
Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zillz  
Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal  
Emustolronzen Finé el zillz**_

"You _did_ hear me say we're not gonna pull some cliché hero crap, right?" Ritsudo called out through the mental link, Hibiki looking back to the see that everyone had indeed followed her up into the upper reaches of the atmosphere itself.

"You wanna be a hero _that much?"_ Chris added.

"I never thought I'd get to sing an elegy on a stage like this. You're full of surprises, Tachibana." Tsubasa noted, Kyomei giving a light chuckle.

"I'd prefer a less melodramatic turn, but, hey, falling shard of the moon, what're ya' gonna do right?" Kyomei added.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. There's six of us… doubt it'll be much of a problem." Koto added.

"Everyone?!" Hibiki gasped.

"I think it's the perfect place to sing a lifetime's worth of songs." Chris noted, Ritsudo sighing.

"Let's _not_ talk like we're not gonna make it back alright?" Ritsudo stated, chuckling as she shut an eye, Hibiki smiling as she looked between all her friends, the six flying off further to the shard of the moon, joining their hands together as their voices rang out in harmony in one, seemingly final, song as they ascended hire upwards.

"Still, I wanted to sing more songs with all of you." Tsubasa added.

"I'm sorry." Hibiki apaologized, Chris lightly shoving her.

"Dummy!"

"Okay, like I said, can we _not_ talk like we're gonna die?" Ritsudo added, Kyomei chuckling.

"You're stressing that point quite a bit." Kyomei pointed out.

"For obvious reasons senpai. Seriously, it's the end and we're gonna pull some cliché heroic sacrifice? As if!" Ritsudo scoffed, Hibiki chuckling.

"Even after everything you still can't help but be sarcastic can you?" Hibiki hummed.

"The switch broke a long time ago. I can't just turn it off." Ritsudo stated.

"That's a bunch of crap." Chris responded, Koto merely chuckling.

"I just got back so… yeah." Koto snickered.

"Thank you, everyone!" Hibiki stated, the six Gears glowing brightly as they shot forward as a streak of light.

" _Hmph… funny to think about it now. Even when the world bites you hard, you can still bounce back if you've got enough help. Hehehe, having friends is a lot better than I thought it would be. Totally not boring at all!"_ Ritsudo thought, chuckling to himself as he looked between the other five as they split off once they reached the fragment, _"This is a Swan Song for all of us… or, more accurately I guess, a Superb Song! One sung by everyone!"_

In the next moment, the six prepared to launch everything they could muster, Tsubasa's sword and Koto's staff growing to utterly ridiculous sizes, Chris deploying every bit of weaponry they could produce, Kyomei's bow expanding into a giant ballistae with a gleaming energy arrow in it, Hibiki's gauntlet's readying by pulling back extremely far, and Ritsudo raised his single sword above his head, the black winds changing to a gleaming pale blue as he readied the slash.

And in one single moment, everything the six had was released on the falling shard of the moon in one massive combined attack, and for those on the ground, what they saw was a brilliant flash of light that illuminated the night sky, and falling all around it, the remaining fragments appeared as shooting stars that streaked across the sky by the dozens.

And the only sound was Miku's pained crying at the seeming loss of her friend…

* * *

Miku stood alone at a bus stop through the unending downpour, a drenched bouquet in her hands as she waited, a bus pulling up to the path.

" _ **It's been three weeks since then. The search for the six of them was called off. Genjuurou-san said they'd be treated as dead, since they went missing during a mission. They put up a grave on the outskirts of town, but Hibiki isn't there… and neither is that boy she was with. For secrecy reasons, their names aren't even on the stones. Supposedly, it was too avoid awkward questions from foreign governments, but I don't understand. If the picture I gave Genjuuro-san is there, it will only mark Tachibana Hibiki's grave. It's sad. Even so, I often go there, to see the end of everything Hibiki did."**_

The cemetery was old and practically abandoned from years of no upkeep. Miku had stopped at two graves in particular, both unmarked, but one bore a picture of Hibiki alone, a scrap from one Miku and the girl had taken together

"I miss you… I can't believe I can't see you anymore… Hibiki… I wanted to see the shooting stars with you!" Miku sobbed, the rain starting up again as if reflecting her sorrow, then…

"SAVE ME!"

A shrill scream for help pierced through the air like a crack of thunder, Miku shooting up and running down the road, coming across the source of the cry, a woman stuck on the road with Noise coming at her from both sides. In the moment, Miku grabbed the woman's wrist and ran, guiding her alone to the upper roadway, the rain ceasing as Miku pressed on.

" _I won't give up. I won't!"_ Miku thought, stopping as the woman she was helping collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

"I can't go on!"

"Please, don't give up!" Miku shouted, but the pursuing Noise had caught up, backing both into a corner on the road, Miku guarding the terrified woman, stalwart as the glared at the Noise.

Then, with a shockwave and flash of blue light, the Noise were blown away, Miku's eyes wide, and she looked over to see Genjuuro and Ogawa, and near them, four then six balls of light, which quickl vanished, revealing to the girl the six missing Symphogear users, Ritsudo chuckling as he spun his pendant on his finger.

"Remember what I said about if we take a bit longer to get back? _That."_ Ritsudo chuckled, Hibiki nodding.

"Sorry, we had to keep a lot of secrets. I had to hide the truth from you again." Hibiki apologized, tears again falling from Miku's face, Hibiki showing a bright smile, Miku rushing forward to meet her friend for a hug as the storm clouds broke into an ember colored dusk, the other five looking at the two, Ritsudo giving a chuckle as he walked over to the railing and stared out, lookin squarely at his pendant as he held it up to the setting sun.

" _ **The Noise are still around, so our job is far from done… but, with everyone here around me, you can bet we're gonna face that head on. We're gonna keep fighting, no matter what the odds against us are. And until the real ending, we'll keep coming back for more. We're not done fighting, and neither is our enemy. But, none of us are gonna give up. For those who pushed on despite grief, the ones who came back from a dark place, and those of us who got caught up in this by circumstance. As long as my song can save one more person, as long as I have the strength to swing my sword even once… I'll keep fighting with everyone at my side!"**_

 _ **Symphogear Trill**_

 _ **Finé**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And the ride comes to a close, but without a heralding call to more in the future. Hehehehe. Thanks for sticking through and giving this story such positive reception, it really helped me keep going, and I'm glad I got this far! I'll see ya' next in the continuation from here,** _ **Symphogear Trill G!**_ **Keep a song in your heart and an eye on the future, cause we're far from done, just like the Symphogears!**


	17. G Stanza I

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza I: Seconda Canzone**

"Did you _have_ to hit me?!"

"You're a heavy sleeper, how _else_ was I supposed to get you up?"

"I dunno, maybe lightly shake me awake like a normal person would!"

Ritsudo slammed the door of the train car he and Chris exited shut, the short girl already throwing open the next one, the air filled with the sound of gunfire as a swarm of aerial Noise swarmed the train, the two Symphogear users diving into the next car, Ritsudo slamming the button to shut the door and pulling down his jacket's hood.

"Geez, ya think some dang transport mission would've gone smoothly with no hassle!" Ritsudo scoffed, Chris snickering.

"Says the guy who spent the entire ride sleeping in the rear car!"

"I was tired from my morning run! Let's just hurry and meet with Hibiki and Koto!"

Chris only nodded as Ritsudo rushed forward, the two nearly crashing into Hibiki as she came barreling around one of the corners of the car, timely saved by Koto reaching out and nabbing the two by their collars.

"Whoa! I know this is an emergency but slow down a bit, both of you!" Koto warned, releasing his juniors, Ritsudo clicking his tongue as Hibiki chuckled.

"Sorry. Let's go, we've gotta hurry!" Hibiki said, the four rushing further, the four eventually meeting up with Aoi and another, a white haired man in a lab coat and glasses, the man carrying a case, one which held the Staff of Solomon, the item the four Gear users were helping guard, "This is bad! There's a whole bunch of Noise heading this way!"

"They're clearly targeting us." Chris grumbled, the train shaking from the impacts from behind them, "It's as if someone's controlling them."

"Or maybe it's the active Relic we're toting around. Who knows?" Ritsudo added, though not in much of a sarcastic way unlike how he'd usually handle such things before. "Let's just get moving. Dr. Ver, Aoi, you two need to get as far ahead as possible!"

"Then let's hurry!" Aoi already moved ahead, the doctor, Ver, following her as the Gear users tailed behind, Aoi on her communicator as they progressed to the next end and opened the doors, "Yes. Yes…. You're detecting something moving at high speed hidden amidst the Noise?"

"As you know, the Lunar Attack three months ago shook the world, and the Japanese government disclosed the Sakurai theory." Ver looked back at the Gear users as they followed, re-explaining the situation at hand as they moved into the next car, "While most of it is still shrouded in mystery, if we can analyze this arch scepter, the Staff of Solomon, that we recovered, we may be able to discover a new way to fight the Noise."

"Sounds reasonable. Symphogears are hard to develop, and since Relic fragments are so rare, we're… well, not exactly the most reliable tools to fight these things on a large scale." Koto stated, Ritsudo putting a hand behind his head.

"Considering they put four of us on this mission, out of six. It's a viable point." Ritsudo pointed out, "Trying to develop something else to fight the Noise would come in handy, especially if it can be mass produced."

"That's what we're hoping to achieve with this, if it's successful." Ver added, Koto slamming the button to shut the door behind them for the next car, this one in the clear since they were far enough away from the Noise attack.

"That thing… the Staff of Solomon isn't so easily harnessed." Chris grumbled, Ritsudo sighing as he saw her tightening a hand, "Not that I can talk, considering what I did."

"Good grief Chris, lighten up a bit will ya?" Ritsudo hummed, patting Chris on the head, the short girl yelping and showing a light blush, Ritsudo chuckling, "We need every way to fight the Noise we can get. It'll be fine, you don't have to worry about it."

"Dummy." Chris muttered, looking down, Ritsudo snickering as he stepped back, Hibiki and Koto chuckling.

"Roger. We'll fight them off." Aoi placed her communicator into her jacket, the Symphogears looking between each other then to the officer.

"Is that our cue?" Chris asked, Aoi pulling out a gun, and the lights shot out as aerial Noise stabbed into the train car, Aoi and Ver stumbling, Ritsudo quickly drawing out his sword and slashing at the attackers, landing lightly as he flicked ash off his sword.

"You two alright?" Ritsudo asked, Ver staring at the Kusanagi in Ritsudo's hand.

"That's Kusanagi, the Tuner Relic that can be formed without a song?" Ver asked, Ritsudo then pointing at Koto as he nodded.

"I'm not the only one. Big guy right there can do the same thing with his staff." Ritsudo pointed out, Koto chuckling.

"Yes, but you react much faster than I do sometimes. Doctor, Aoi, you two go on ahead and get to the front. The four of us can handle the Noise without a problem." Koto commanded, the doctor and officer nodding.

"Let's do this!" Hibiki shouted, the other three nodding, Ritsudo twirling his weapon back into it's pendant form.

" _Scindum Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tron!"_

With the call of the activation songs, the four Symphogears shot up onto the top of the train with light bursting off of them, and like Koto's own changed gear, the three younger Gear users had gained new looks to their armors, mainly simple additions that weren't in the previous garbs, though standing out with Hibiki and Ritsudo's gears were the light yellow and light blue, respectively, scarves flowing down their backs.

"Look at all these wicked birds filling the sky." Chris mused, Ritsudo smirking as he looked around at the swarm.

"Talk about a flock. How many y'think we can shoot down eh?" Ritsudo mused, Koto chuckling as he twirled his staff.

"Let's keep count then." The elder Tuner hummed.

"Doesn't matter how many they throw at us! Once we pull off that combination attack we've been practicing, they're going down!" Hibiki chuckled, Chris shaking her head.

"That's still not ready. And you're seriously suggesting we use that in actual combat? You know that's crazy, right?" Chris stated, Hibiki snickering.

"Ritsu and I would do the same thing, so it can't be that troublesome!"

"That's because we trained together. We don't need that much practice to pull off a combo together." Ritsudo stated, Chris giving him a look, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Huh… boy, he's gonna have trouble in store one of these days." Koto hummed.

"Besides, I want to save it until we really need it!" Hibiki added, Chris sighing.

"Hmph. Don't make me state the obvious then."

"Alright, enough piddling around you three, we've got a flock to hunt!" Koto chuckled, Ritsudo and Chris readying their weapons, "Everyone good to go?"

"Ready as ever! Let's start hunting!" Ritsudo snickered, his sword at the ready.

 **(Start song: Zero by Kensho Ono)**

Chris led off the attack by firing a storm of energy bolts into the swarm above them, Ritsudo, Hibiki, and Koto shooting up into the air ad striking the ones who got past the storm of shots, keeping Chris clear of attacks as they shot around in the air, landing back on the train as Chris readied an attack, her crossbows extending and forming two large bolts each, the shots firing off and punching through any Noise in their path. But, this attack wasn't finished as the crystalline bolts split, filling the air with shards as numerous as the Noise if not more, the pieces glowing and falling like the rain around the four fighters, cutting right through the swarm, even blowing a Dreadnought type sky hight.

 **-GIGA ZEPPELIN-**

"Haha, nice!" Ritsudo cheered, then letting out a growl of annoyance when a bolt of blue shot by, the group following it to find their eyes on a new flight type Noise, "A new type?! Seriously!?"

"I guess that one's the leader!" Chris readied a missile barrage on cue, though as the onslaught was fired, the new Noise showed it was _much_ faster than it's fellows, swerving past the missiles, not even getting touched as they exploded around it, "Then take this!"

Chris swapped to her rotary guns as the Noise charged them, bringing it's upper segments down into a shell as it charged, Chris' bullets bouncing off of the frontal shell, Koto stepping forward and chucking his staff at it like a javelin, the weapon slamming into the front of the beasts Nose.

"Hibiki!" Koto snapped, Hibiki shooting forward and prepping a shot from her gauntlet, shooting into the air and slamming the Noise, knocking it off course, kicking Koto's staff back to him as she came down, the elder wielder clicking his tongue, "Well, this one's a bit tougher."

"Thing's bulletproof and it can take a punch from Hibiki. I totally jinxed us when I said this was gonna be easy didn't I?" Ritsudo muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"My question is why the Noise seem so targeted. Normally they're haphazard and random. The only thing that can control them is the Staff of Solomon, so just what the heck is going on?" Koto murmured.

"Maybe the Noise are drawn to the staff?" Ritsudo suggested, Koto shrugging, "Eh, who knows who cares!"

"That phrase isn't exactly a smart one to use right now Ritsu!" Chris shouted, "Tch, if I could use my X-Drive mode like back then, these small fry would be no problem!"

"Well, we don't got X-Drive right now, but, one of us can still fly!" Ritsudo chuckled, his Gear's visor closing and a face mask locking into place, his scarves tails splitting into three strands each, taking a wing like shape as blue energy filled the gaps, "I'll see if I can take it down from the air!"

"Are you nuts?! You're flight mode only lasts a couple minutes, and that Noise is fast!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo snickering as he swiped his sword.

"And I'm faster! Just watch!" Ritsudo snapped, the blue wings flapping as he launched upwards through the swarm of Noise, his sword slamming onto the lead Noise's nose and sending it careening, the creature switching modes and giving pursuit to Ritsudo as he darted back to strike, flipping over as it charged and slashing, though his sword bounced off the plating of the connection to the upper parts, sending him veering off course, Ritsudo bringing his arms up to block as smaller Noise charged at him, knocking him right back down onto the train car and through the roof.

"Ritsu!" Chris and Hibiki shouted, Koto tapping both girls on their shoulders.

"We might wanna go down!" Koto shouted, the girls turning to see they were coming up on a tunnel, Koto slamming his staff down and creating and opening in the roof of the car, the three dropping to the interior as the train entered the tunnel, "Everyone alright!"

"That was close!" HIbiki sighed, Chris nodding.

"We owe you one. Wait, where's Ritsu?"

"Down here."

The three looked down to see Ritsudo embedded into the floor of the train car, staring up at the three with a flat gaze.

"I'm uhm… kinda stuck here." Ritsudo muttered, looking to the side, Hibiki and Chris sighing while Koto chuckled.

"Here, I'll get you up." Hibiki offered a hand, Ritsudo taking it, the girl giving a small yell as she yanked Ritsudo out of the him-shaped indent in the floor, the boy brushing himself off as he got to his feet, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, not a scratch. But geez that thing has tough armor." Ritsudo clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Damn! Now I _really_ don't know what to do! How're we gonna take that thing down if not even Kusanagi can cut through it's armor?" Chris muttered, slamming a fist into her other head, Hibiki's face showing she got an idea.

"Oh, right!" Hibiki said, Koto humming.

"What's on your mind?" Koto asked, Hibiki chuckling, and Ritsudo showed he already knew where this was going from the look on his face alone.

"I just remembered something I saw in one of Master's combat manuals!" said Hibiki, as enthusiastic with it as ever. "We should uncouple one of the carriages and smash it into them!"

"Is that manual for real? No way that's gonna work." Replied Chris, a hand on her head, "They'd just pass straight through the carriage for one!"

"So _that_ is why we hit them with more than just a carriage!" Ritsudo added, he and Hibiki snickering in the same manner they looked at each other and nodded.

"Exactly!"

"What crazy plan are you two cooking up now?" Chris sighed.

"Well, an idea is an idea! Let's see if it works!" Koto led the three out of the carriage, Chris readying a crossbow shot. "Before we get out of the tunnel, right?"

"Yeup!" Hibiki nodded, Chris shooting the coupling to break it open.

"Are you sure you two know what you're going?" Chris asked, Ritsudo patting her on the back as Hibiki hopped down into the gap. "I mean it. Sometimes your impromptu attacks don't always work so well!"

"This one'll get the job done! Just watch!" Ritsudo chuckled, Hibiki pushing the carriage off, the two jumping off the train as they neared the exit, Chris sighing as she and Koto watched them go.

"I swear those two… they can't even Synchronize but they're always coming up with crazy combo attacks." Chris sighed, Koto letting out a hum.

"You sound a bit jealous."

"I-I am not! It's just… kinda dumb y'know?"

" _She's totally jealous."_ Koto thought, looking back to the tunnel.

Ritsudo and Hibiki had their weapons ready as the Noise began coming through the carriage, blue light bursting around Ritsudo's sword as Hibiki's gauntlet extended into a larger form, thrusters flickering to life, the two shooting forward with yells as the Noise came through, Hibiki's fist slamming into the large Noise's cone and punching right into it, Ritsudo's sword jabbing right into the damaged segment, blue bursts beginning to show from it as the slamming sound of Hibiki's gauntlet going off sounding in tandem, the Noise exploding in a burst of flames and blue energy, the explosion of both shooting through the tunnel and catching the Noise behind the leader until it burst out from the back, Ritsudo and Hibiki skidding to stops at the opposite exit of the tunnel, the now vanishing stormclouds showing the noon sky as they slapped a high five in celebration.

 **(End song)**

" _They used a dimensional pocket to slow down the enemy's movements, then hit them with everything they had from the other side of the wall. Hibiki broke the armor, Ritsu provided the extra force. These two can't even Synchronize, but they fight together like they can. Geez… they're always surprising me."_ Chris thought, her look shocked at the sigh as Ritsudo and Hibiki returned to the train, Koto whistling as they landed on the top of the car.

"Nice one you two! Though ugh… you made quite the mess of the tunnel." Koto mused, Hibiki and Ritsudo chuckling.

"Well, things happen during big fights right. Still, no action movie is _ever_ gonna top that one! Hahaha! Wonder if Master recorded that one!" Ritsudo laughed, throwing a fist upwards.

"Oh I hope he did!" Hibiki laughed, Chris rolling her eyes.

"You two are such nerds."

"True that!" Ritsudo laughed, Chris giving him an amused look as he snickered, a bright smile on his face as he did, "So, how much further are we now eh?"

* * *

Once the convoy _had_ arrived at the military base, it had taken a while for things to get in order considering the state it was left in, but once that was said and done, all that was left was the official transfer papers, which Aoi stamped with the 2nd Division's seal on the electronic document she was handed from the soldiers, who Ver was standing with, the lead soldier taking the stamped file.

"This completes the transfer mission." The soldier stated, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir." Aoi answered, the Gear users chuckling as they glanced at one another.

"Now I've seen it with my own eyes." Said Ver, catching the attention of the four teenagers, "You're not called the Heroes of the Lunar Attack for nothing."

"Really? We're heroes?!" Hibiki cheered, Ritsudo shrugging as he put his arms behind his head, "We hardly get any praise, so please don't hold back! Keep those compliments comi-"

 _WHAP!_

"OWW!"

Hibiki held the back of her head, reeling from impacts from quick chops by both Ritsudo and Chris.

"Stupid! This is why you don't get any praise!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo humming.

"That hurt you two…" Hibiki whined.

"Well, not that it's not bad every now and then." Ritsudo murmured, HIbiki nodding along while Chris glared at him, "What?! I only said every now and then!"

"You're even worse!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo looking to the side and sighing, Koto giving an amused chuckle as Chris growled at him.

"Okay you two, chill out. You can bicker plenty back at home." Koto warned, the two bickering white haired teens nodding.

"In a chaotic world like this, we _need_ heroes." Ver stated, again getting the four's attention, "Great heroes, carrying the hopes of mankind!"

"Ahaha, you're making me blush!" Hibiki chuckled, though Ritsudo looking more unnerved, lightly elbowing Chris to get her attention.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you notice how… unhinged he looked while saying that?"

"Of course. You've got a bad feeling about it too, right?"

"'Course I do." Ritsudo nodded, the two humming to note their suspicions.

"We're just doing our jobs doctor. Being heroes never had anything to do with it." Koto added, "But, good luck with the Staff as well. I hope you discover something from it."

"I will. I'll be sure to make good use of the cargo you protected for us." Ver's statement definitely came off as sincere enough, the four Gear users nodding.

"We'll expect great things." Chris added, and with that, the group made their way to the entrance of the base to get ready to leave, "Mission clear, and without a hitch."

"Yeah, but _boy_ am I tired. I'm gonna take a nap on the ride back." Ritsudo stated, stretching his arms, Koto checking the time, Hibiki stepping ahead while cheering.

"We're still in time to make it to Tsubasa's show!" Hibiki cheered.

"I'll give Kyomei a call and see how they're doing. Poor guy must be scrambling all over the place, working as Ogawa's assistant now." Koto chuckled, getting ready to dial the number, Aoi getting off her own call.

"You four worked hard, so the Commander says you can take the helicopter back to Tokyo." Aoi said, Hibiki's eyes brightening.

"Seriously?" Hibiki gasped, though then the mirthful moment was wrecked when an explosion rocked the area, all four Gear users showing shocked faces as a massive Noise appeared on the base, "Seriously?!"

"Looks pretty serious to me!" Chris shouted, the group rushing back into the base, deploying their Gears and taking action.

"Geez, just _can't_ have an easy time with these things, can we?"

* * *

Ritsudo fell back onto his rear as he gave a tired sigh, his armor reverting as he did, Koto nodding as his own Gear reverted back all the same.

"Yeah. The Noise just don't know when to give us a break." Koto muttered, looking around at the ruins of the base as the incident was cleaned up, "But, the worst part is that not only is the doctor missing, but so is the Staff of Solomon."

"Tch… geez, and just when I thought this was gonna be an easy assignment! Soon as we finish up, we lose the thing we got here! Man, what the hell is going on?" Ritsudo grumbled, rubbing his head as he let out a long sigh.

"I don't know. But, if I had to take a guess, we're gonna figure out real soon just who was behind this… if someone was behind it at all." Koto murmured, Ritsudo nodding as he stood up.

"I feel the same way, senpai… should we call Kyomei and Tsubasa?" Ritsudo asked, Koto shaking his head.

"We can tell them once we get back. I don't want to interrupt the show. Besides, knowing Tsubasa, she'd try to get the entire thing canceled if she found out." Koto chuckled, Ritsudo nodding.

"Well, she'd listen to Kyomei. But, point taken." Ritsudo hummed, tapping a finger on his thigh, "I would say something here, but I might jinx us, again."

"The new Noise thing wasn't your fault. But… I am concerned. Something's going to happen."

"Couldn't agree more."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And we are back in business folks! Hehehehe. Next chapter is gonna be big… especially since there's gonna be new characters. Not saying what** _ **kind,**_ **just that yes, new characters! Course I would do that, it's practically expected for this. Kehehe, see ya'll next chapter!**


	18. G Stanza II

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza II: Canzoni Nere**

"Well, the people here certainly go all out when it comes to preparing for a big concert."

And amused chuckle came from one of the overlooks of the Tokyo stadium, the breeze blowing the individuals dark blue hair about, a long, tied back tail of it drifting to the side as the person adjusted a snow white scarf, the shadow from the angle they were at obscuring most of their face.

A beeping from the person's phone drew their attention, drawing the item from their pocket and flicking it open.

"Hello?"

" _We're ready. We'll begin as soon as Sacrist S is here."_

"Not wasting time hmm? Well, I'll be on standby then. We _are_ setting the stage for the end of the world after all." Something about the individuals tone seemed bitter at the prospect, almost hesitant.

" _You're not going to hold out, are you?"_

"Of course not."

* * *

"I know Ogawa said he was going to teach me about being a manager, but sometimes I feel he's using it as an excuse to make me do a lot of menial tasks."

Kyomei sighed as he rolled a shoulder as he swerved through the backstage area, the finishing preparations for the concert of the day finishing up, continuing along until he found Shinji and Tsubasa, the former hanging up a call from his communicator, and Kyomei made the note that he removed the glasses her wore, a clear sign whatever the call was about, it was serious.

"Tsubasa! Ogawa! Sorry I'm late!" Kyomei called out, picking up the pace a bit until he got close enough.

"You're actually just in time." Shinji stated, Tsubasa standing from her chair as the manager turned towards her and Kyomei.

"What did the commander say?" Tsubasa asked.

"He said he wants you to make tonight a show to remember." Shinji said, Kyomei giving him a flat look.

"Ogawa, you're not aware of your own tics, are you?" Kyomei murmured, receiving a curious look from the older young man, Tsubasa nodding in agreement to it.

"You took your glasses off, which means you're not in Manager Mode." Tsubasa pointed out, "You need to be warier of you own habits, else the enemy-"

"It's almost time for the show! Please come this way!" A staff member called, Tsubasa looking over.

"Yes, I'll be right there!" Tsubasa called out, looking back to the other two.

"Go, it'll be fine." Kyomei stated, "If there's anything going on, I'm sure the others will handle it. Right now, it's your job to sing and get a message through your music. You're not just a sword y'know. Good luck!"

"Alright." Tsubasa sighed, Kyomei chuckling, "I'm not happy about this, but it can wait."

"Of course it can." Kyomei stated, lightly pushing Tsubasa on the back, "So go out there and knock 'em dead!"

"Tell me the details later." Tsubasa flatly said before trotting off, Kyomei looking at Shinji once she was out of earshot.

"So, what _did_ the commander say?" Kyomei asked, Shinji sighing, "Ogawa. I hurried Tsubasa off because I know if she found out, she'd cancel the show here and now. You and I both know that she should focus on this."

"Of course." Shinji murmured, "While the others did succeed in their objective, the base was attacked by Noise shortly after they made the delivery. The Staff of Solomon was taken as well."

"What?!"

"To be precise, it's missing, along with the doctor who was transporting it." Shinji concluded, Kyomei clicking his tongue, "What will you do?"

"I'll keep an eye on things around here. We should be safe, but it'd pay to keep a wary eye about." Kyomei replied, Shinji nodding, "I'll wander around a bit before the show begins and see if I can find anything suspicious."

"You're not going to go out to see Tsubasa perform?"

"Of course I am! I just want to make sure there won't be any interruptions before the show begins or during it." Kyomei said, a tone of irritation in his voice at the insinuation he _wouldn't_ watch Tsubasa's performance, earning a chuckle from Shinji, "What?!"

"Nothing. It's just nice to see that you and Tsubasa have come a long way in these past few months." Shinji said, Kyomei's face turning red all too quickly as he looked to the side, "Well then, go and make sure this show will be safe. The first part of the show is already beginning, so you should be clear to investigate for a while."

"Good to know." Kyomei turned and left, sighing as he pocketed his hands and found his way out to the main area of the stadium, the crowd thinning out quickly as the concert began, "Let's see… Maria Cadenzavna Eve is performing first, and her solo slot isn't that big since the main event is her and Tsubasa's duet… which means I don't have long to search around. Might as well start now!"

Kyomei turned off in a somewhat random direction and began maneuvering through the thinning crowd, scanning around as he did, but nothing, of anything, looked to be out of order at all. In fact, aside from the singing coming through the speakers of the ongoing first part of the concert, everything was quiet now that the crowd had more or less filed into the stadium completely.

Though that silence was soon interrupted as he continued along, eventually finding the air to have begun filling with the soft tones of a piano being played. Following the sound along the way, Kyomei eventually found himself at one of the larger areas of the corridors of the stadium, and sitting at the piano that sat front and center of the room was one remaining person seemingly unseeing to what was around them as they played, Kyomei skirting around to see who it was past the opened lid of the large instrument.

The individual was a person who's looks made it rather had to discern from an initial glance if they were a man or woman, a beauty of an individual if there was any, and young enough they couldn't have been much older than the eighteen-year-old. Their head as topped with styled, but messy blue hair that fell downwards in layers, tapering down to a single, long tail that Kyomei assumed could reach the person's waist if it was long enough. And further standing out was their matching eyes, as dark a blue as their hair, standing out on their pale skin.

And further to this, Kyomei knew _exactly_ who this person was. He'd seen them on posters and the internet. Not only were the looks that he'd read described as "too beautiful to be a man, too handsome to be a woman" standing out, but so was the snow-white scarf and calm smile.

"N-No way…" Kyomei murmured, "Oratorio Allegro Carmine?! W-What is he doing here?!"

The young man at the piano ceased his playing as the song he was tapping away at ceased, noticing he wasn't alone and turning to see Kyomei standing there in his stunned expression, tugging at his scarf and jacket in his own stunned moment.

"Oh… I thought I was alone." Oratorio murmured, Kyomei blinking as the pianist stood and pocketed his hands into his jeans, "Seems I have a small audience of my own, hehe."

"W-W-What is going on?" Kyomei murmured, Oratorio chuckling lightly.

"Well, you caught me taking the chance I had to play this piano here since Maria drew the crowd in. I do enjoy playing in front of others, but there's a peaceful feeling about letting the music bounce around an empty space." Oratorio stated, and despite his looks, his light voice made it clear he was surely a man, "Judging by your face, I assume you know who I am, yes?"

"O-Of course I know!" Kyomei yelped, "Oratorio Allegro Carmine, singer, pianist, and violinist who rose up the American charts in a matter of months, even moreso once you partnered with Maria Cadenzavna Eve! W-Wait, is that why you're here?!"

"We _are_ partners in show business. Of course I'd come view one of the biggest shows my lovely ally is a part of." Oratorio mused, unconcerned with the star-struck muttering coming from Kyomei, "Now, since you know who I am, can I be so polite as to ask who you are?"

"I-I'm Hyoshi Kyomei, assistant manager for Kazanari Tsubasa." Kyomei rapidly spat out, Oratorio giving a hum.

"Ah, you work with Ms. Kazanari then. Well, it's certainly nice to meet the young man who works closely with Maria's partner for the day." Oratorio took a low, polite bow, Kyomei shaking his head to the side.

"N-Not at all! I should be glad to meet you! W-Well, I am! It's not every day you get to meet one of your favorite musicians like this so uh…" Kyomei fumbled and fell silent, Oratorio chuckling.

"So, you're a fan of mine, I see. That's perfectly fine. I rarely meet some so polite." Oraotorio mused, "Well then, Mr. Hyoshi, would you like to walk with me to the stadium? Maria's current part should be ending soon, and I'd quite like to view her duet with Ms. Kazanari, as I'm sure you are too, seeing as you are Ms. Kazanari's manager."

"A-Assistant manager, but, yes." Kyomei murmured.

"Either or. So, shall we go?" Oratorio hummed, stepping down from the platform and trotting off, Kyomei taking a moment to get out of his stunned state of mind and follow after the young man, eventually matching pace with him, "So, mind if I ask how you and Ms. Kazanari know one another, or is it simply a business thing?"

"Uhm… is… is it really okay to talk about such things?" Kyomei asked, Oratorio chuckling.

"You don't have to say much. I'm simply wondering if you're working with her due to only your work, or if you two happen to have a deeper connection than manager and client."

"W-Well, the latter, you could say."

"Ah. Lovers then? Am I seeing hints at some potential behind the scene scandal of an illicit relationship between an idol and her manager?"

"EH?! N-No! W-Well… I mean, we've known each other since we were kids but I mean, that doesn't…" Kyomei stopped when Oratorio gave a laugh, hanging his head as he felt the flush on his face.

"I'm only joking. Idols in Japan are seen as symbols of purity are they not? It'd be loathe of me to pry into Ms. Kazanari's private life through her childhood friend. So, forgive me for the teasing remark." Oratorio's politeness was narrowly offset by his shown teasing statement, giving Kyomei the quick impression that despite such things, it was likely Oratorio had a more mischievous side to his person, if the gleam in his eyes was any indication at his amusement at Kyomei's embarrassed expression.

"I-It's fine. But it's honestly the extent of it. We've known each other for years, but, it's not like our relationship is illicit or anything." Kyomei stated, _"Well, we've kissed a few times and such… but not like I can talk about our relationship in front of someone due to Tsubasa's status."_

"Hmhmhm, I see. Well, nothing wrong with wanting to support your friend." Oratorio stated, the two rounding the bend to enter the main stadium, "Maria and I are much the same. We've only started working together recently, but, we've known each other for quite a long time. Now as for whether we have a deeper relationship behind closed doors and out of the public eye, well, I'll leave that to your imagination, Mr. Hyoshi."

"R-Right." Kyomei murmured, letting out a nervous chuckle, feeling Oratorio was just playing around with him again, "And uhm… calling me Kyomei is just fine. I, admittedly, am not one for a lot of formalities."

"I see. Well then, you can call me Oratorio." Oratorio mused, looking around at the paths open, "Now, where can we go to view the main event?"

"Actually, there's a balcony area I got reserved so, we can head there." Kyomei stated, Oratorio nodding.

"Then lead the way."

" _I'm about to watch my girlfriend perform with one of my favorite musicians… this day just got so much better."_ Kyomei thought, hiding a giddy smile on his face as he lead the way, and once they reached the viewing area, Oratorio let out a whistle as he looked around the enclosed area.

"My, a rather nice place. And you get a perfect view of the stadium below to watch the show. Hm. Probably even better than being down on the floor itself." Oratorio hummed, looking around to how, with the roof now opened, the stage was perfectly lit by both the lights of the stadium itself and the moon towering over it, the new ring of debris marking it along with the crater, "I'm not sure if this sentiment is shared, but I think the moon only became prettier after the Lunar Attack, even with the gaping crater in it."

"I… can agree there." Kyomei added, _"Granted I'm part of the group who stopped said piece of the moon from destroying the earth but, well, not like that's a public thing."_

 **(begin song "Fushichou no Flamme" from the OST)**

"Well, looks to be the main event is about to begin, let's watch, shall we?" Oratorio took a seat as the crowd below began lighting up from the passed out glow sticks as the main stage lit up along with it, a platform rising from the center, the stage lightning to reveal those on it, one Tsubasa, and the other a young woman with flowing pink hair garbed in white, directly counter to Tsubasa's mostly black stage outfit. "And there they are, the idols of the hour. Maria Cadenzavna Eve and Tsubasa Kazanari."

"Let me bear witness as you fall in battle!" With that opening phrase form Maria, Tsubasa led off the song. The strong, upbeat song and the movements of both singers led Kyomei to make a comparison between it and two rivals facing off. Which really, one could say that was true of things. Both girls on stage were rising stars of their home countries, and even if this was a duet, it felt more like a clash between rivals than anything.

And as the stage literally burst up into flames with a tap of the sword like microphones, the musical clash between veritable rivals rose up to a head, the crowd going wilder as the energy rose, and Kyomei was resisting the urge to sing along himself, resorting to humming along and bobbing his head, Oratorio looking amused as he leaned to the side in his seat and continued watching.

"Well, I'd say they're an even match for one another." Oratorio hummed, Kyomei noting the observational tone in the young man's voice, "What do you think?"

"Uh… well, it's certainly a fun show." Kyomei replied, focusing back to things as some of the finals lines were sung, and with another burst of flames, this time solely on the screen behind the two, the song came to a close, Kyomei letting out a cheer from it while Oratorio clapped along, chuckling when Kyomei froze suddenly.

"It's fine. No need to feel odd about celebrating." Oratorio stated, Kyomei sitting back down with a light chuckle, tuning in as Tsubasa stepped forward and began to speak.

 **(End song)**

"Thank you, everyone!" Tsubasa's statement got a chorus of cheers, continuing once the crowd died down once more, "Every day, your support inspires me to do my best. That's why I hope my songs can give a little inspiration in return in return to everyone who listens!"

"I'll make my songs reach all around the world!" Maria had her own words to add, the crowd still going at their cheers from it, "Never look back, just rush ahead! Follow me if you can!"

"As reckless in her words as ever." Oratorio mused, Kyomei glancing at the young man as his look suddenly turned somber for a moment, and something was said that didn't quite reach Kyomei's ears.

"I'm grateful for the chance to stand on this stage tonight." Continued Maria, looking towards Tsubasa, "Especially alongside Kazanari Tsubasa, Japan's most famous singer."

"That's right. I'm glad our paths were able to cross in this way." Tsubasa added, the two shaking hands, the crowd again cheering wildly.

"Well, a clash of rivals turns into the start of what looks like a friendship." Kyomei mused, Oratorio merely giving a nod, though Kyomei noticed how he looked a bit more tense, Kyomei looking back to the stage as Maria walked off a ways, and with a flourish of her arm, to the surprise of the Tuner and Harmonic present, Noise began bursting into the gaps between the crowd, Kyomei's eyes wide as the crowd began to panic.

"So it's begun. No turning back now." Oratorio spoke silently as he stood, adjusting his scarf as he looked down at the panic below.

"Crap… what are Noise doing here?!" Kyomei muttered, stopping himself as he reached for his pendant.

"Don't panic!" Maria ordered, Kyomei looking back to the stage as the young woman silenced the crowd.

" _Darn… the others need to get here fast."_ Kyomei muttered, looking to Oratorio, "We need to get out of here! It'll be dangerous to stand around?"

"Maybe… but don't you want to hear what else Maria has to say first?" Oratorio asked, looking at Kyomei with a cocked gaze, and something about the gaze felt colder, but also, something about it was sad. "Besides… it's not like your lot can do anything in front of his broadcast, now can it?"

" _Does he know that we have Symphogears?!"_ Kyomei's eyes widened further as Oratorio looked back to the stage below, a sigh coming from the young man's mouth as he looked at Maria and Tsubasa on stage.

"While the Japanese government did disclose the information about the Symphogears, they didn't release anything about their users, right, Kyomei Hyoshi?"

"So, you do know?" Kyomei muttered, pulling out his pendant, "Even if so, neither me or Tsubasa would hesitate to draw our weapons, even if it'd ruin what lives we have now!"

"Willing enough to fight for what you believe in, no matter what huh? Admirable… if only more people like that existed in this world, maybe things would be better." Oratorio murmured, Kyomei watching as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an item, flicking his hand to reveal it to be a sword shaped pendant, eerily reminiscent of the one possessed by Ritsudo.

"Oratorio Allegro Carmine… just who _are_ you and Maria Cadenzavna Eve?!" Kyomei snapped, clearly unnerved with the thought in front of him as Oratorio tossed the pendant in his hand a few times before gripping it tightly.

"You're going to get your answer in a moment." Oratorio stated, directing Kyomei back to looking at the stage as Maria raised her microphone.

"We hold dominion over the Noise!" The young woman declared, all attention on her alone now, both in the stadium and the entire world, "Thus we claim rulership of all the countries throughout the world!"

"Eh?! That's turning the entire world against her then!" Kyomei yelped, Oratorio nodding.

"A declaration of war, one could say." Oratorio murmured, Kyomei giving him a glare, "Now watch… this is the woman who's turning the world against her."

" _Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zillz!"_

Kyomei's eyes went wide in shock as the call for a Symphogear sounded from Maria's voice, carrying up even to him and Oratorio well above the main stadium, turning his gaze to the stage as light burst from it, and when it faded, his shock only compounded upon itself at the familiar form. The armor Maria had donned was starkly similar to the very version of Gungnir he remembered Kanade had possessed, only darkened to complete black and accented in dark red, a billowing cape flowing from Maria's shoulders.

"What the… a black Gungnir… there was more than one Gungnir shard?!" Kyomei yelped, taking a few steps back in his shock.

"And that's not the only thing." Oratorio stated, tossing his pendant into his left hand, Kyomei looking back to the stage as Maria caught her previously thrown upwards microphone.

"I… we are Finé!" Maria declared, Kyomei's eyes widening further again, "Yes… we are the ones who will bring about the end!"

"Finé…" Kyomei grumbled, looking back to Oratorio as the young man let out a breath, staring at the sword pendant in his hands.

"It's a shame, really. In any other situation, I think you and I could have been friends, Kyomei." Oratorio stated, turning to Kyomei and lifting his pendant up, Kyomei gripping his own item as white flames began flickering around the pendant in Oratorio's hands, "But sadly, that's not the situation we're in. For every lady, there is usually a knight… and to Maria, that's the role I play. Sorry… but it looks like you and I are going to be enemies."

" _Illumino Claimoh Solais zillz!"_

The white flames flickering around Oratorio's arms rushed outwards like a torrent, Kyomei retreating backwards from the outpour of heat that rushed towards him, the flames then retreating inwards, forming a blade like shape in Oratorio's hand, one that was swiped to reveal the form that had been taken. Oratorio's form was covered in black armor of his own, the imagery of a knight standing out amid the smooth plating, white accents marking the armor and an equally white cape flowing off of his shoulders, Oratorio lifting a pure white sword at Kyomei, one that flickered with flames all across it's blade.

"It is a regret. If it could be any other way, I'd rather not have to fight you, but sadly, that's not the world we're in." Oratorio stated, segments from his headpiece closing in and forming a complete helmet that hid his features, a blue gleam coming from the eye segments as Oratorio's voice also changed, scrambled to be almost unrecognizable, "So draw your bow, Kyomei Hyoshi. How well shall it fare against my sword!?"

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And here we have the first of one of the three new characters being added with this second cour! We've got two more coming in, but that will come in time with the next chapters! Hehe, so here we go! Time to really start this show!**


	19. G Stanza III

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza III: Bianco e Nero**

 **(begin** _ **Impact**_ **by UVERworld)**

" _Fugite Verum Vijaya zillz!"_

As Oratorio's distorted but clear voiced carried out in song, Kyomei immediately drew his Armed Gear in it's twin blade mode once his armor manifested, parrying Oratorio's lunging slash with the two blades, slipping one off and lashing at his foe, the more heavily armored Tuner leaping back from the slash, though as he did, a trail of white fire flowed off of his blade and lashed at Kyomei as he flicked his right hand, Kyomei moving to the side but feeling the intense heat wash over him, spinning one of his blades and swapping it to it's handgun form, firing on Oratorio with the open chance he had, his foe swiping his blade up and widening the blade of the weapon outwards as if it was as malleable as the flames he'd attacked with, turning it into a shield to block the bullets sailing towards him.

"What the?!" Kyomei gasped, Oratorio swiping his sword and returning it to it's original size, Kyomei blocking with his drawn sword, flinching as the heat coming off of Oratorio's sword reached the exposed parts of his skin through the gaps in his armor, which was even more slender than it's previous state before X-Drive had been reached. "What the hell are you planning?!"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Oratorio snapped, breaking the lock and swinging around, slamming Kyomei with a solid sweeping kick, sending him flying out of the window of the viewing booth and out into the open air, Kyomei retaining enough sense as he recovered from the jolting blow to lower his Gears visor to hide his face, considering the cameras were still rolling, and he crashed to a stop right on the stage, bouncing off the stage and slamming into the main screen, Tsubasa yelping as Kyomei hit the ground heavily, heavily getting back to his feet, the crowd yelling as Oratorio leapt from the viewing booth and crashed down near Maria in a burst of white fire, the woman nodding to him as he aimed his sword at Tsubasa and Kyomei.

 **(end song)**

"We are the paramilitary organization known as Finé!" Maria declared, turning back to the crowd as she lifted her microphone again, "We will hereby announce our demands to all the countries of the world. Let's see… for now, simply cede all your territories to us!"

"Is she insane?!" Tsubasa gasped.

"I doubt it…" Kyomei muttered, flicking his other sword into it's gun form, Oratorio's blade turning back to him.

"Don't interrupt." The masked foe coldly said, Tsubasa taking an even warier stance as the cold eyes of Oratorio's helmet turned to her.

"If you do not meet our demands in the next 24 hours, your major cities will fall under attack by the Noise." Maria declared.

"Just how far are you people taking this?!" Kyomei snapped, Oratorio giving a huff.

"As far as we need to." Was the reply Kyomei got, the boy grimacing at the bluntness of it all.

"I will become the supreme ruler, creating a world where we may all live in peace." Maria turned to her two opponents, "Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"The last person we fought shot the goddamn moon under a similar pretense." Kyomei muttered, taking aim with his pistols even with the threat of the flaming broadsword aimed at him and knowing some of it's abilities now, then blinking when his comm line crackled, "Commander?"

" _Kyomei, listen closely. The others are coming in right at this moment. There's not much longer until they arrive, can you and Tsubasa hold out until then?"_ Genjuuro asked, Kyomei nodding.

"If they keep talking long enough, then yeah. How much longer?" Kyomei asked, keeping his words silent enough so only Tsubasa could hear what he was saying.

" _They're within the city now. I'd say twenty minutes give or take."_

"We can manage that." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa nodding to confirm it, the two looking back to the black Symphogears in front of them.

"What do you hope to accomplish with your empty threats?" Tsubasa demanded, the plan now to just keep Maria talking.

"You think I'm all talk, don't you?" Maria asked, Tsubasa nodding.

"Right! I'll show you that you're not worthy to wield the Gungnir Symphogear!" Tsubasa shouted, though as she started to sing her activation phrase, she froze as her communicator crackled, both she and Kyomei picking up on it.

" _Wait, Tsubasa-san!"_ Shinji's voice, _"If you act now, the whole world will find out that Kazanari Tsubasa is a Symphogear User. Kyomei-san had the benefit of being off camera when he transformed, but right now you don't!"_

"But, what else can I-"

" _Not all of Kazanari Tsubasa's songs are battle songs. Your songs also heal the wounded and ease their pain."_

A shot from Kyomei's pistols cracked in the air, and rather than it being a shot towards the two in front of him, Tsubasa followed the aim of his weapons barrel, and doing so, found her eyes reaching the smoking remains of one of the cameras.

"Then I'll just start shooting out cameras to buy some more time. Ogawa, get on it, now. I'll only be able to get maybe two or three more before we engage." Kyomei stated, Shinji giving an affirming hum before the line crackled shut, Maria giving an amused hum as Kyomei retrained his firearm on her.

"Why not test my strength then?" Maria challenged, "Why not find out for yourself if my words are as empty as you say?" Silence from Tsubasa was the reply Maria got, "Fine then. I release the audience from this arena! I won't let the Noise harm any of you. Leave this place immediately!"

"Wait, what?" Kyomei looked downright taken aback by the sudden declaration, though Tsubasa kept a far warier look on her face.

"What are you trying to do?" Demanded Tsubasa, Maria giving a chuckle.

"We're keeping innocents out of the way of the fight. There's no point in needlessly harming people who have nothing to do with our conflict or goals. In fact, I find the thought repulsive." Oratorio stated, only leading to a further look of confusion on both Kyomei and Tsubasa's faced, then for the two in black armor, their own communication lines crackled as the crowd began shuffling out of the arena.

" _What_ are _you two doing? I don't believe the plan specified giving up are advantage. Care to explain yourself?"_ A woman's voice inquired, Oratorio making a small muttering sound.

"I'm the star of this stage." Maria stated, "Taking hostages isn't my style."

" _Don't be afraid to stain your hands with blood!"_

"I don't mean to object too much, but I'd rather not drag innocents into our affairs, Mom. We'd only make our situation worse by doing so." Oratorio stated, the woman on the end of the line sighing.

" _I'll send Suiv, Skalla, Shirabe, and Kirika there. Just don't forget about your objectives."_

"Roger, Mom. Thanks." Maria murmured, the crack of Kyomei's guns sounding again, two more camers going down due to him, and when he fired a third shot, Oratorio shot into the air and cut the bullet right out of the sky, Kyomei aiming his weapons at him as the sword user landed and pointed his weapon at him again.

"Come on… fifteen more minutes until the others get here." Kyomei muttered, "Tsubasa, I'll keep trying to shoot out cameras until Ogawa turns them off."

"Can't you use your arrows to take out more than one?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei shaking his head.

"Vijaya's arrows when in bow form can only track things with some kind of Symphonic Gain to them. I'm better off using my guns to shoot them out." Kyomei stated, "Tch… Ogawa better be hurrying right now."

* * *

" _The eyes of the world are set on Tsubasa-san. Kyomei will only be able to take down so many cameras unnoticed, and he's not the best melee fighter, so he can only protect her from those two for so long if they start fighting without Tuning with her. To free her from those chains-"_

Shinji was rushing his way down through the inner parts of the stadium, though his run came to a stop when he caught sight of four figures rushing into a hiding spot up on one of the platforms, and the quick glimpse he'd gotten led to him at least getting a quick view that it was a bunch of kids or younger teenagers, four at the least.

"Ahhh crap! That suit guy is coming this way!"

Up in the not-so-hidden hding spot, one of the younger teens, a boy with bright blue hair, pale skin, and matching eyes in a cat eared hoodie, yelled as quietly as he could manage, waving one of his arms in a slight panic.

Another boy of similar age to him, sighed as he pushed up a pair of half-rimmed glasses, dark eyes showing beneath equally dark hair and his own hooded jacket, though unlike the more expressive boy, he seemed far more passive.

"Quiet down Skalla. Kirika is loud enough. You two are luck nobody else was here, else we'd have been given away." The dark haired boy muttered, turning to the two behind him, one a blonde girl with green eyes, and the other a smaller girl with black hair and violet eyes.

"Sorry, Suiv!" The blonde girl, Kirika, whispered, though it was of a similar volume to Skalla, the blue haired boy now peering around the corner trying to spot Shinji.

"Don't worry, Kiri, Skal. If worst comes to worst…" Shirabe murmured, producing the tell-tale Symphogear pendant, Suiv slapping his forehead as Kirika scrambled to make her companion hide it.

"Can't you ever resolve things peacefully, Shirabe?!" Kirika asked, hiding the pendant in Shirabe's shirt.

"Is something the matter?" Shinji called out, Skalla and Kirika yelping as he spoke up, "You four need to evacuate!"

"Uh, we just…" Kirika fumbled, Skalla popping up.

"Y'see uh, w-we got lost! Yeah! We were out of the arena and uh…" Skalla fell short just as well, Suiv sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She suddenly had to use the bathroom!" Kirika shouted, sliding in front of Shirabe, who was staring at Shinji while making a "chiii" sound, constantly moving to look as Skalla joined in on trying to block her vision.

"Y-Yeah! And we just… kinda got lost on the way there and ended up here!" Skalla stated, a nervous chuckle sounding from him, "What a pain, huh?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Kirika chuckled, just as nervously as Skalla.

"Huh? Well, I can take you to the emergency exit when you're done." Shinji stated, and before Skalla and Kirika could continue in their fumbling attempt at a cover up, Suiv stepped past the two and adjusted his glasses before he spoke.

"We appreciate the kind offer but we'll be fine sir. We'll be out before you know it, so you can continue finding other stragglers to help evacuate." Suiv stated, showing a cross popped vein very subtly as Skalla and Kirika showed ever so thankful looks from behind him.

"All right, just be careful okay?" Shinji stated, running off with that.

"Of course!" Skalla and Kirika both said in unison, both of them giving relieved sighs as they hung their heads.

"I can't believe we pulled that off." Kirika murmured, Skalla nodding as he lowered his hood as he held his head.

"Yeah! I thought we were gonna be caught for sure for a moment!" Skall murmured, Suiv smacking him on the back of the head, "OW!"

"Keep flapping your gums like that and _both of you_ would've blown our cover. We're here to help Oratorio and Maria, not run around like idiots and get caught by an adult!" Suiv scolded, Skalla puffing out a cheek with a muttered, Suiv again showing a subtly annoyed look, "Why you little!"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Skalla yelped, shying away from getting him again as Suiv reared a hand back, Kirika meanwhile glancing at Shirabe as she kept giving her that staring look.

"Hm?" Kirika hummed.

"I wouldn't do it in somewhere like this." Shirabe flatly stated, Suiv giving a sigh again.

"That so?" Kirika murmured, Suiv giving a groan while Skalla chuckled in amusement.

" _That's_ what you're mad about?" Suiv grumbled.

"It's a bit funny." Skalla chuckled

"It might be my duty to protect you and all…" Kirika muttered, Suiv clearing his throat as an interruption, "You're her Tuner, that's different! I was saying, I don't know how long I'm gonna last like this!"

"Thanks for everything, Kiri." Shirabe mused.

"Alright, with that done let's go!" Skalla cheered, taking the lead forward, the other three nodding as they picked up their pace to a run.

* * *

The arena was now empty off all but the remaining passive Noise, only the four Symphogear users on stage remaining, but with the cameras still running, and it being apparent Kyomei's efforts to shoot out the cameras he could would be cut almost in half with Oratorio jumping around blocking his bullets, it was a standoff silent of all but the wind.

"I envy all those people who have somewhere to go home to." Maria murmured, Tsubasa letting out a small breath as she looked around the arena for a moment.

"Maria, what on Earth…"

"The audience has left!" Maria pointed her microphone at Tsubasa, the Noise beginning to turn to the stage, "There won't be any casualties now. If you still won't fight me, it is clear you lack the resolve of a soldier! Is that really all the determination you have?"

"Tsubasa, I know how badly you want to draw your sword right now, but as long as the rest of these cameras are going…" Kyomei shot both his guns at once, succeeding in taking down at least one more camera, though his attempt at getting a second was stopped when a Noise jumped in the way of the bullet instead, much to Kyomei's clear annoyance, "you can't use Ame-no-Habakiri until the eyes of the world aren't on you. For now, the world doesn't need to know you're also one of their protectors. I can hold them off long enough for Ogawa to get to where he needs to be… so please, hold off for now."

"Hmph… it's admirable, but a bit ironic. A bow protecting a sword… hehe, it's almost a bit comical in a sense." Oratorio mused, "Isn't the sword supposed to be the one leading the bow?"

"Big talk from a sword defending a spear!" Kyomei snapped, an amused chuckle coming from Oratorio, who leapt at Kyomei again and slashed at him, Kyomei jumping back, and as the clash between the two young man was renewed, Maria lunged at Tsubasa with the rapier-like microphone, the flimsy metal items clashing together as Tsubasa swung hers in return, though Tsubasa quickly found that the cape on Maria's gear was more than just show as she spun around, practically turning the article into a whirling buzzsaw, leaving Tsubasa with only a stub of a "weapon" as she dodged.

In response to that, Tsubasa kept on the defensive as she dodged Maria's attacks, though when that happened, Kyomei dodged a slash from Oratorio and shot forward, meeting Maria's attack with his own blades and slicing the flimsy replica weapon in two with a quick parry, Maria retreating from the continuing slash, Oratorio slamming down onto the stage, Kyomei shoving Tsubasa back as he dodged the strike.

"Get out of the cameras line of sight!" Kyomei shouted, Tsubasa nodding and shooting off towards the back of the stage, right to a spot where the cameras surely wouldn't see her, Kyomei blocking another viscous attack from Oratorio, who launched a gout of flames towards Tsubasa with a swipe of his hand, the girl jumping the swathe easily, but, the landing of the leap caused the hell of her stage shoes to snap off, causing Tsubasa to lose her stride complete.

"I'm afraid I can't let you off the stage yet!" Maria shot over to Tsubasa, swinging her leg around and launching Tsubasa back, Kyomei being shoved away by Oratorio, the two slamming into one another as they went reeling.

"Damn… this isn't going to go anywhere at this rate." Kyomei grumbled, he and Tsubasa standing as their foes stood before them, Maria standing to keep Tsubasa from retreating, and Oratorio to receive whatever attack.

"Kyomei… I don't think I have much of a choice right now." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei gasping.

"You can't! You can't just throw away your life as a singer like this!" Kyomei snapped, Tsubasa merely smiling before her look became resolute.

"Hear now, the song of a sentinel!" Tsubasa shouted, and while he was still shocked, Kyomei's faced turned towards the screens still showing the broadcast, and a broad grin rose on his face as he saw all of them cut out at the same time.

"HELL YES!" Kyomei cheered.

" _Imyuteus Ame-no-Habakiri tron!"_

Tsubasa's voice rang out loud, and when Oratorio struck to attack, Kyomei blocked the move as light flashed when Tsubasa jumped to dodge Maria, and while she went sailing towards the Noise, her Gear shone on as she landed, her sword drawn immediately as she hit the ground running, swiftly cutting through the Noise in her path, Kyomei retreating from his blade lock with Oratorio and joining Tsubasa in the extermination of the Noise.

"The broadcast was cut off?!" Maria murmured, Oratorio clicking his tongue as he watched the two on the floor scythe their way through the Noise, giving an amused sound.

"I think this fight is about to get a lot more interesting, Maria." Oratorio mused, Maria glancing at him as his helmet collapsed down.

"Tsubasa! No point in holding out!" Kyomei shouted, Tsubasa nodding as she landed back to back with him.

"Agreed!"

" _ **OVERLAY!"**_

 **(begin** _ **Preserved Roses**_ **by TM Revolution and Nana Mizuki)**

With their voices joined together, Kyomei and Tsubasa made quick work of the Noise crowding in around them now that they were free to fight without holding back, and once they cleaned up the Noise, they leapt back to the stage, weapons ready and aimed at their foes as Oratorio's helmet reformed as he took a stance of his own.

"Now I shall strike back!" Tsubasa shouted, she and Kyomei charging, Oratorio blocking Kyomei's blades as he swiped them down while Maria side stepped Tsubasa's flurry of slashes, Kyomei retreating from Oratorio's retaliation and switching his weapon into it's rifle form, the powerful shots shoving Oratorio back when he blocked them, while Maria retaliated against Tsubasa using her cap to lash out, knocking the katana wielder back to disengage, Kyomei landing on a higher spot as he aimed his rifle.

"That Gungnir is the real thing." Kyomei muttered, jumping from his perch when Oratorio launched a gout of flame from a swipe of his sword.

"But how?!" Tsubasa growled, Maria giving an amused chuckle.

"Finally you understand. Indeed, this is my Gungnir! The spear that can pierce anything!" Maria shouted, her and Oratorio taking the attack on the two, their assaulting blows being blocked and parried by the Synchronized pair.

"Even so, we will not let you have your way!" Tsubasa snapped, Kyomei slamming Oratorio back with the butt of his rifle and firing, forcing his enemy back from the engagement to avoid the near point black shot, the opposing Symphogears glancing at their communicators as they crackled amid the held off attacks.

" _Listen now you two. Phonic Gain for both of them is around 44%."_

"Those two aren't even using a quarter of their power alone?" Oratorio muttered, Maria slipping for a moment in her own surprise.

"You can't afford to waver while fighting us!" Tsubasa yelled, producing two blades from her leg armor, slamming them together at the hilts while Kyomei turned his own rifle into a twinblade form as well, and Oratorio growled as the two joined hands as flames began spewing from the swords they held, sinning the weapons into wheels of flames as they shot forward, separating as they neared their foes and striking at once to both Oratorio and Maria, the blows landing solidly on their targets.

 _ **-Burning Vajra's Windblades-**_

"Whatever story you have to say, we'll listen another time!" Kyomei shouted, he and Tsubasa wheeling around for another strike as Oratorio and Maria stumbled from the blows, though as they came in, their blows were halted when new attacks came sailing in, massive buzzsaws joined by black and white beams of energy raining down on them with full intent to land, the two stopping and spinning their joined weapons to form a barrier to block the attacks as they turned to the new attackers.

 **(stop song, and start** _ **Destinare!**_ **By Soma Saito)**

The ones leading the assault were Suiv and Shirabe, both in their own black Symphogears, Shirabe launching buzzsaws from segments on hers while Suiv manipulated multiple white daggers seemingly on connected threads as the two swerved back and forth in their attacks, Shirabe's Gear accented in dark pink and Suiv's in purple.

 _ **-Ringing Alpha Style: Illusionary Rebirths-**_

And from behind the two, Skalla and Kirika shot up with weapons of their own ready, their Gears accented in a dark yellow and green respectively, Skalla whipping out a golden pair of short swords and Kirka a green edged scythe.

"Here we go!" Kirika shouted, her scythe producing two more blades while Skalla slammed his swords together, the two new scythe blades going flying while covered in a golden aura pulsing with noise around it.

 _ **-Kill Juliet Romeo-**_

The two launched scythe blades when flying at Kyomei and Tsubasa, who were caught clean off guard from the attacks coming at their flanks as they held off the buzz saws and beams raining down on them, both being hit cleanly and flying back, stopping at the edge of the stage, the four younger Gear users landing in front of their older comrades.

"That was close." Shirabe hummed.

"Close indeed!" Kirika chuckled, Skalla snickering as he spun one of his swords.

"See? Told ya' we'd make a cool entrance like that!" Skalla laughed, Suiv sighing as he made the motion to adjust his glasses even with the lack of the spectacles being there.

"Oratorio and Maria are unharmed. I doubt they needed us to take care of these two." Suiv stated, Kyomei and Tsubasa starting to get up.

"Six Gear users?!" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei clicking his tongue.

"The rest of ours need to hurry the hell up." Kyomei grumbled, their previous two foes walking forward, Maria looking down at the two white Gear users with a smirk.

"Not that we needed these four to save us from you two." Maria mused, Suiv giving a "Told you so" look to his compatriots.

"Though our fight isn't exactly over yet." Oratorio stated, Kyomei and Tsubasa showing their own smirks.

"You think awfully highly of yourselves." Tsubasa stated, Maria giving a hum, "But if you're always looking down on others, you're wide open to attacks from above!"

True to the words of Tsubasa, the other six Gear users looked up to see Ritsudo, Koto, Chris, and Hibiki armored up and falling from a helicopter, Chris opening the attack with her rotary guns, scattering the six foes while Oratorio and Maria used their capes to block the bullets, the other three slamming down on them with their weapons (and fist) to attack, Maria and Oratorio dodging back, Koto dashing forward and grabbing Kyomei and Tsubasa, and as they moved aside, it was then six white Symphogears faced with six black Symphogears in the arena.

"Stop this already!" Hibiki called out, and Ritsudo gave a small sigh, "There's no reason for us to fight!"

"Not the thing to say right now." Ritsudo muttered, and he got a point made when Shirabe's neutral expression turned into a fierce glare aimed right at Hibiki, Kirika looking just as unamused with it while Suiv clicked his tongue and Skalla rolled his eyes.

"Laaaame!" Skalla crowed, Kirika pointing her scythe at the opposing six.

"I could never trust someone who spouts such saccharine garbage!" Kirika shouted.

"No! If we just talk, we can understand each other!" Hibiki objected, Ritsudo giving another light sigh, "We don't have to figh-"

"You hypocrite." Shirabe cut in, "There are so many hypocrites like you in this world!"

"Grow up a bit. This world isn't that kind!" Suiv shouted, flicking out multiple daggers, his song picking up again as he and Shirabe attacked the 2nd Division Symphogear Users once more, Koto jumping in front of Hibiki and twirling his staff to block the attacks, Chris and Kyomei moving out and firing on their enemies, The others scattering while Kirika and Skalla leapt up, Kirika spinning her scythe to make a shield, and when both lunged, Ritsudo produced his second sword and blocked Skalla's lunging strike, Kirika going for Chris, who retreated and shot at her with her crossbows, Skalla and Ritsudo shooting around the space as Kyomei and Tsubasa lunged at Oratorio and Maria, Shirabe going for Hibiki while Koto dodged the rain of laser fire spewing from Suiv's daggers as the younger Gear user flung them about.

"I just wanna help everyone who's in trouble!" Hibiki shouted as she dodged Shirabe's sweeping buzz saws, "So…"

"That's why you're a hypocrite!" Shirabe snapped, Hibiki gasping, "You've never known true suffering. I don't want someone like you helping others!" the yelling was matched by the buzz saws being released from their holds, rushing right towards Hibiki from both sides as they whirred through the air.

 _ **-Gamma Style: Infinite Firewheels-**_

 **(stop song)**

Shooting in to block the buzz saws, Ritsudo and Tsubasa shoved them aside with their swords, Kyomei and Koto disengaging from their enemies and skidding to a stop near them.

"Stop messing around!" Chris shouted.

"Don't let your feelings get the better of you!" Tsubasa stated, Hibiki nodding after a moment more.

"We'll talk after the fight's done. We don't have much of a choice right now!" Ritsudo added, baring both his swords, wavering a little bit, "Damn, the hell can that kids Armed Gear do?"

Though before any of the fighting between the two teams of Symphogear users could continue, a gleam came from the center of the arena, a massive Noise far different from the others the 2nd Division team had seen before rose from the space in a grotesque show of pulsating mass with a single glaring eye.

"What's with that huge potato?!" Hibiki yelped.

"More like giant pile of puss! What the shit kinda Noise is that?!" Ritsudo snapped, looking utterly grossed out at the sight of the beast.

"A replicator type." Shirabe murmured.

"Nobody told me about this!" Kirika yelped, Skalla staring in complete shock.

" _This_ was the plan B Mom talked about?!" Skalla yelped, pointing at the Noise as he spoke, Suiv retrieving his daggers and returning them to the waist part on his armor.

"I'm assuming this is our signal to retreat." Suiv stated.

"Mom?" Maria asked, Oratorio giving a click of his tongue.

" _The six of you should withdraw."_

"Very well. Oratorio!" Maria snapped, Oratorio nodding and spinning his sword as Maria slammed her gauntlets together, swiping the black spear they formed as she caught it.

"She held back her Armed Gear until now?!" Tsubasa gasped, Maria and Oratorio aiming their respective weapons at the Noise, both opening up and revealing inner segments that gleamed brightly, both firing beams of energy that merged into one as they shot forward and impacted the Noise dead on.

 _ **-Roaring Event Horizon-**_

"Come on, you summoned that Noise yourself!" Chris shouted.

"One of them called it a replicator type… I don't want to think about what that means." Koto muttered, Kyomei letting out a hissing breath.

"I'm afraid I know exactly what this thing does." Kyomei answered, the impact of the blast causing a bright light to form that nearly blinded the six 2nd Division members, parts of the Noise flying everywhere as the six dark Symphogears retreated.

"Now they're running away?!" Tsubasa growled, shielding her eyes from the gleaming light.

"Just after we got warmed up too!" Chris grumbled, Hibiki gasping as she looked around at the pieces of the Noise, which _hadn't_ turned to ash, instead, even the smallest pieces starting to get bigger, an scarily quickly at that, to the point the parts of this single Noise were nearly overtaking the arena.

"Well this is just freaking great!" Ritsudo snapped, he and Tsubasa swinging their blades and sending out blast waves that proved ineffective, the Noise just regenerating faster than the damage was caused, the six jumping back and gathering to avoid being separated by the ever-increasing mass, "This is officially the grossest thing I've _ever_ seen."

"And considering it can replicate this fast… damn." Kyomei grumbled, Tsubasa nodding as she clicked her tongue.

"And we can't just leave it here. It'll overrun this entire area in a short while at this rate. And it'll only get worse from there." Koto muttered, tapping his staff on the ground.

" _Can you hear me!?"_ The six perked up when they heard Shinji's voice through their communicators, his urgent tone getting through quickly enough, _"The evacuated audience members are still here, outside the arena. You can't let that Noise break free!"_

"The audience… everyone." Hibiki murmured, remembering how her friends were at the concert that night too.

"If we attack carelessly, then it will just divide and replicate faster." Tsubasa muttered.

"What should we do then?!" Chris snapped.

"Then we just hit it faster than it can regenerate! That's how it works in videogames with bosses like this!" Ritsudo pointed out, Hibiki nodding.

"Yeah… our Superb Songs! Those will have enough power to do it." Hibiki added.

"Yeah but that attack isn't finished yet!" Kyomei stated.

"But do we have any other options?" Koto added, "Besides, something as reckless like this is fitting for those two to come up with."

"Agreed. Use destructive power with enough force to defeat it all at once before it can regenerate. That's just like you, Tachibana. Very logical." Tsubasa mused, Ritsudo giving a flat look.

"Hey, I'm the one who suggested it."

"Are you serious?" Chris muttered, but the six all looked between each other and nodded. There really wasn't much of another choice they could use here if they wanted to stop this bursting Noise from growing so large it would spill out into the city. So with that plan locked in, the six joined hands until a solid line as made, Hibiki at the center of them.

"Let's go! S2CA Triburst!" Hibiki called off, the six closing their eyes, and like when they'd stopped the moon fragment, their voices all rang out in the Superb Song, light bursting forth from all of them as the song concluded, the air whipping around as the strain of the Superb Song began kicking in.

" **Spark!"** Tsubasa and Kyomei.

" **Combination!"** Chris and Koto.

" **Set Harmonics!"** Ritsudo and Hibiki shouted the final phrase, the light around the six turning into an orb of rainbow light, HIbiki groaning in pain the most as the energy grew and focused in on her. While this unfinished and untested move was surely to be powerful, the drawback was Hibiki, the unique combination of human and Relic who's lack of a proper Armed Gear made her the only one who could perform the move to completion, had to bear the strain of all six Superb Songs at once.

But the payoff was proving to work, blasting away every part of the Replicator Noise until only it's care skeletal part remained, Hibiki slamming her gauntlets together into a singular piece as her armor opened up to reveal glowing segments, the glowing light gathering down onto Hibiki along as she raised her arm, one more burst shining from her joined gauntlet, a flicker in her form showing for a moment.

"Now!" Ritsudo shouted, Hibiki launching off towards the Noise form.

"This is our… Superb Song!" Hibiki roared, her first impacting with the Noise's head, a burst flying from her gauntlet and sending a vortex of rainbow light flying skywards and annihilating the Noise with it.

* * *

And just outside of the arena, the six Symphogear users of Finé could clearly see the torrent of light.

"What _is_ that crazy light show?" Kirka gasped.

"They could do _that_ the entire time?!" Skalla yelped, blinking in shock.

"But I can only imagine the strain that move would have." Suiv noted.

"And we will have to fight those monsters." Maria stated, Oratorio nodding, giving a sigh.

"I wish we didn't, but what else can we do? The world is our enemy now… and so are they." Oratorio stated, turning first, "Besides, it's not like we've shown them everything that we've got in store ourselves. Let's get back for now. We're going to be busy from here on out."

* * *

"Geez… that's tiring even if you're not the one using it." Ritsudo was rolling his arm as the lot recovered from using the Triburst, their Symphogears disengaged, Hibiki on her knees a ways away, the five running over to her since she wasn't moving, "Hibiki, you okay?!"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." HIbiki turned to the group showing her usual smile, but her eyes were holding tears in them, and Ritsudo clicking his tongue.

"No, it's not! You just fired off the power of six Superb Songs! If something's wrong then you gotta tell us." Ritsudo stated, kneeling down and putting a hand on Hibiki's shoulder, Chris nodding with him.

"Yeah. Does it hurt anywhere?" Chris asked, Hibiki wiping off the tears on her face. "Don't tell me the burden was…"

"No…" Hibiki murmured, shaking her head, "Am I… really a hypocrite?"

"What?" Ritsudo muttered, blinking as Hibiki's expression became pained.

"I know how much it can hurt…" Hibiki stopped choking back her sobs, burying her face in Ritsudo's shirt to muffle her crying, the others looking on with surprised looks as Ritusdo put a hand on Hibiki's head.

"It's fine… it'll be alright, just…" Ritsudo murmured, giving a troubled look of his own as his words stopped coming out of his mouth, instead staying in his mind, _"You can't keep expecting people not to fight… our world isn't that kind. We can be as kind as we want, but even the best of people come to blows sometimes."_

Ritusdo looked up when, out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw something gleam nearby, but when his eyes found where it was, not an object or person was in sight. But, if something was there, all he knew right then was that it probably wasn't good.

" _It looks like our peaceful days are over again."_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **This was longer but OHHH so very frickin' WORTH IT! There's gonna be quite a bit of work to do, but whoo boy will I love it all! Hehehehe. See ya' next chapter! Hope you enjoyed!**


	20. G Stanza IV

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza IV: Disarmonia Crescente**

 _ **Lydian Academy 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **year Class (new campus)**_

Ritsudo was near absentmindedly staring out of the window of the classroom, a pensive look on his face as he continued to mull over the previous battle, his other hand occupied with flicking the back end of his pen as he thought.

" _A week, and nothing but silence… tch, this is like the Finé incident all over again. I don't like it when an enemy shows up and suddenly vanishes… something is going to happen soon. All we can do is sit here and wait for Boss to come back on the lead they found… man I hate waiting."_

And amid his thoughts, reacting on instinct, Ritsudo dropping his pen and shot his hand up, an item impacting into his palm before his fingers wrapped down, the white haired teen glancing at his hand to see a smoke white under his fingers, opening his hand to reveal a chunk of chalk.

"Huh?"

"Na-ru-ka-mi…."

"Oh…"

"Three months… three months you act as a stellar student after over a _year_ of skipping class, but then you spend an entire week not paying attention!"

Glancing up from his palm, Ritsudo came face to face with the teacher of his class, a bespectacled man at least in his middle ages but still rather young looking, and the former class-skipper that was Ritsudo just chuckled as he handed the chunk of chalk back.

"Well, y'know, I've just been thinking about some big things an all so it's been on my mind. Sorry, Sensei, it's just… well, last weekend was kind of weird." Ritsudo responded, a casual smile on his face as he spoke, _"Not to mention insanely stressful in a few ways."_

Which brought up the point in Ritsudo's mind of what had been said. Considering he'd being at (the now co-ed in full) Lydian since late middle school, he'd built up something of a reputation as that student who did just enough to get by and skipped basically every other class he could.

The sudden change in character of his plus his quick ability in proving he was far more capable than he previously let on had definitely been enough of a shock to his classmates and teachers it had brought a good amount of amusement to him.

"Well, I'm sure after a week you've thought about it enough to focus on classes again." The teacher stated, picking his thrown chalk out of Ritsudo's palm, "Now, back on topic! We were finally reaching Beethoven!"

"Ugh…" Ritsudo sighed as that was uttered, putting a hand on his forehead, but then giving a light chuckle, the teacher then stopping.

"Rather… something almost as important as this for a moment." The teacher stated, slapping his hand onto the board, where a rather large three was drawn there, the words "Culture Festival" scrawled beneath it. "There are three days until the culture festival! So make sure you start finishing up when-"

 _DING DONG DONG DING_

"Huh, the period is already over? Well then… convene for lunch! And the lot of you better finish your plan for the festival!"

And as soon as the teacher was out of the class, the student body split off to either eat the lunches they'd brought or scatter to the cafeteria, and unlike before, where Ritsudo would normally find himself eating alone or retreating to the roof, three of the male students of the class found their way over to his solitary three friends he'd managed to make within his class so far.

The first was a blonde-haired, red-eyed boy with a red headband, and his uniform was even more casual in styling than Ritsudo's, the only "uniform" part of it being the blazer. The second had much darker hair that was contrasted with bright green eyes, and his neater appearance gave a more refined air… which made sense since he _was_ from a wealthy family. The final of the trio to join Ritsudo was of the type Ritsudo could just call… ordinary. Drab brown hair and eyes, and a nondescript look to his face and how he dressed.

In order for names, they were Ono Kiragi, Ryoma Tohma, and Chowane Ichiro. Or as Ritsudo called them before "those three guys who wouldn't leave me alone."

"Oi! The phantom finally speaks again." Kiragi laughed, Ritsudo rolling his eyes as he fished around in his bags, "Seriously man, a total week of near silence. Something big _must_ have happened."

"You can… say that." Ritsudo stated, pulling out the lunch box he'd finally located amid the dozens of papers cluttering his bag, "I need to clean this damn thing out…"

"That's what happens when you take a solid month of remedial assignments and exams with barely any rest." Tohma quipped, Ritsudo remaining silent, "No quippy remark?"

"I refuse to speak of the month of torture I underwent." The matter-of-fact way in which Ritsudo dropped the comment was in its own way a bit funny, if the snickering reactions of Kiragi and Ichiro were any hints.

"Well, speaking of the culture festival actually, how close are we to finishing the booth?" Ichiro asked, Ritsudo giving a hum as he stuck some of his lunch into his mouth.

"Tadokoro and Asada are finishing up their portions. All that's left is to really just oversee the final assembly. Our class isn't behind, so three days is more than enough time." Tohma affirmed, Kiragi nodding.

"Yeah, and with Ritsudo leading the class along, no way we're gonna fall short. I mean c'mon, big man got us a week ahead of the other classes!"

"Yeah, because I was going to be busy with work for a few days at the time so I wanted to get as much done as possible."

"What _do_ you do for work anyway?" Ichiro asked, Ritsudo clearing his throat.

"Nothing much just… work with a family friend is all." Ritsudo said. He had to avoid the fact his friends, while like the general populace knew what Symphogears WERE, but were not however, privy to the fact Ritsudo was one of the "mysterious heroes" that were still the talk of the town. Unlike Hibiki's own troupe of friends who knew full well what the mystery part time job she had was.

"Okay." Ichiro tilted his head like he felt something else behind the comment, Ritsudo just shoveling food into his mouth to avoid saying anything.

"Huh… hey, you guys remember last weeks concert and that big announcement? Who'd've thought that Maria Cadenzavna Eve of all people had one of those Symphogear things!" Kiragi's comment got Ritsudo to freeze, and Tohma nodded as he started flicking through his phone.

"Yeah, it's still all over the place on social media. I'm still wondering who they heck that masked one was. People have started calling them "The Black Knight" due to how their Symphogear looked… strangely fitting." Tohma's response to the said comment made Ritsudo jerk a bit, the boy slamming on his chest as some of his food went down the pipe it shouldn't have, coughing violently into his hand as he bent over.

"Whoa, Ritsudo you okay?" Ichiro yelped, Ritusdo waving a hand as he groaned in pain.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, trust me I'm fine! Just… something went down the wrong pipe." Ritsudo stated, chuckling awkwardly as he sat up, "So uh… why don't we talk about what we need to finish up today for the festival eh? I mean even if the school is fully co-ed now we all basically agreed it was a competition between the girls and guys."

"Speaking _of_ girls…" said Kiragi.

"Huh?"

"Why are you so lucky?!"

"Wha?"

"You know what I mean! You walk to school every day with the cute transfer girl _and_ a couple of the underclassmen girls! What's with that?!"

"Wait _that's_ what you're mad about?" Ritsudo had a brow raised in genuine confusion at his friends complaint, "Well I mean, Chris and I live together so-"

"You live with the transfer student?!"

"That's news to me."

"Oh wow!"

"It's not that kind of relationship." Ritsudo deadpanned, sighing at the threes reactions, "That and I work with Chris and Hibiki all the same anyway."

"What?" Kiragi yelped, Ritsudo sighing.

"And I just tripped a land mine. Let's just focus on the festival."

* * *

"That should be everything that we need to do." Kyomei adjusted the bag of craft supplies he was carrying, Tsubasa ahead of him and carrying a bag of her own, the idol nodding as they proceeded along the hall.

"Maybe more than enough. You really don't forget to cover any bases do you?"

"Ehehe, well, it's best to be prepared, isn't it?"

Tsubasa chuckled as Kyomei snickered, and when they came to a bend, surprise hit as somebody ran into Tsubasa, craft supplies going flying, Kyomei scrambling to see catch them, Tsubasa rubbing her rear where she'd landed.

"If you're going to run, you could at least look where you're going." Tsubasa grumbled, Kyomei sighing as he avoided falling when he nabbed the last of the supplies out of the air, the two looking to the guilty party to see it was Chris who had come barreling around the bend, "Yukine? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"They're… they're after me. They'll be here any moment!" Chris stated, Kyomei and Tsubasa both raising a brow as the short girl pressed her back to the wall, Kyomei peering around the corner when he heard calls of Chris' name, spotting three female students trotting around, clearly looking for the white haired girl.

"Three of your classmates? There shouldn't be anything suspicious about that." Kyomei stated.

"I see. I guess I managed to shake them off." Chris murmured, Kyomei and Tsubasa looking at each other and exchanging a sigh.

"Why would you be running from members of your class?" Tsubasa inquired.

"They're trying to find ways to drag me into participating in some school event." Chris replied, then putting her hands on her hips, "I would've gone home with Ritsu but he said he was staying after to do something… and I was about to leave but then those three showed up."

"Ah." Kyomei hummed, Tsubasa showing an amused grin, starting to pick up the supplies Kyomei hadn't been able to grab from the air.

"Did you forget we were attacked by those militant people? We don't have time for this." Chris then raised a brow as she watched her two seniors go through the supplies, confusion right on her face, "And what are you two doing anyway?"

"What does it look like?" Tsubasa answered, "We're preparing for that school event they're trying to drag you into."

"The same one Ritsudo is helping his class with too." Kyomei added, Chris making a confused noise. "Come on, you should help a bit too. We're helping out with the general prep so we could use an extra pair of hands."

"Why?!"

"Because once you go back you'll end up getting dragged into it anyway, whether you like it or not." Tsubasa said, "So tagging along with us for a bit won't hurt, right?"

Chris only made a grumbling sound, but followed the seniors along to one of the empty classrooms, the trio getting to work on things like papers flowers and paper chains, Chris looking bored the entire time while Kyomei and Tsubasa did so diligently.

"Hey, Kyomei, I noticed you stopped wearing your glasses." Chris noted, Kyomei making a small chuckle, though the silence made it clear some kind of conversation would help.

"Well, I'm near sighted but considering I have to lose them when I use my Gear, I figured I might as well just start wearing contacts. That, and there's no more constant adjusting, though I still do the motion out of habit." Kyomei said, Tsubasa giggling at the statement.

"Huhh? Well, maybe it is better I came along… you two probably would've wasted time sucking face or something like that." Chris teased, the two blue haired teens' faces popping straight to a bright red.

"W-We wouldn't do something like that in school! It's indecent!" Tsubasa spat out, Kyomei nodding rapidly, nothing more than an inaudible stammer coming out of his mouth.

"I was just teasing, geez." Chris sighed, Tsubasa clearing her throat while Kyomei let out a long sigh.

"So, you still can't get used to life here, huh?" Tsubasa asked so to change the subject, Chris grunting.

"I don't wanna hear that from you. You stand out like a sore thumb." The younger girl replied, Tsubasa chuckling, Kyomei holding in a snicker.

"That's true." Tsubasa admitted.

"Though you'd think that being around Mr. Newly-Bloomed-Social-Flower all the time would've rubbed off on ya' a bit." Kyomei mused, referring to Ritsudo, Chris giving a small huff, though the door to the class opening drew the trio's attention to it.

"Ah, Tsubasa-san, Kyomei-san, there you two are!" A trio of girls was at the door, the lead one who'd spoken showing a bit of a worried look, "You never came back from your supply run. We were about to send out a search party!"

"But I see we didn't need to worry. You two even snagged a cute junior to help you."

"Didn't you girls go home already?" Tsubasa said, one of the girls shaking her head.

"You seem to think it's your fault the preparations for the festival are behind schedule."

"So we thought we'd help out."

"Help… me?"

"My my, aren't _we_ popular." Chris snickered, Kyomei giving an amused sigh as the girls sat down and started to help out with the work.

"She wasn't always this easy to approach back then though." One of the girls stated, Kyomei nodding along to the statement, Tsubasa shooting him a slight look, which only got a shrug in response.

"Yeah yeah, they called her the Nightingale of the school. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Another said.

"Huh, I remember hearing that going around." Kyomei said, a hum coming from him, and he looked back out of the window for a moment before resuming his task.

"But it was like she was in a whole different world than us."

"After all, she's a celebrity! A top artist!"

"But then…"

"Yeah!"

"What are they on about?" Chris muttered, Kyomei chuckling.

"Tsubasa used to be pretty frosty to others. These girls were some of the first to approach her after things got settled. And, well, thanks to things, Tsubasa opened right on up. Kinda like these flowers we're making." Kyomei showed the item in his hands as he continued opening the "petals" it had, "A lot like a certain _other_ person we hang around a lot."

"What, Ritsu?" Chris asked, Kyomei nodding.

"Oh, that junior from the old boy's side?" One of the newcomers asked, Kyomei nodding.

"You wouldn't _believe_ how troublesome a kouhai he used to be." Kyomei chuckled, Chris giving a curious him, "He never talked to people or went to class, and I'd always find him sleeping up on the roof. But… then he met Hibiki and made a friend. That, and you, Chris. Both of you have had an effect on him. I mean, just take a look out the window."

Chris raised a brow and stood up, looking out the window Kyomei pointed too, opening it and looking around to get a view, and she raised a brow when she heard Ritsudo's voice carrying through the air, following the source until she found him, the headphone wearing boy running around the grounds and talking to the various working students, taking time as he did to help them move things around of even act as courier and get things from place to place, and the entire time he was doing all of this work, he was smiling brightly as he chatted with his peers and assisted in the preparations, not a trace of boredom on his face as he kept running around all over.

"What is he doing?" Chris murmured.

"Just one semester ago you wouldn't even catch him talking to another member of his class, much less helping people." Kyomei stated, standing up and leaning on the window sill besides Chris, "And now he's running around like a maniac helping everyone with a smile on his face. The Ritsudo I met wouldn't even consider doing that. So, that's why you should probably help out a bit too. And maybe stop scowling so much."

"I guess I can help out a bit more too. Just a bit." Chris murmured, Tsubasa chuckling.

"Sounds good."

Chris sighed and looked back down towards Ritsudo, sighing as she kept her eyes stuck on that ecstatic expression on his face. Something about that expression was just… infectious.

" _Why did it have to be you?"_ Chris thought, hiding the small smile that was forming behind her folded arms, though Kyomei and Tsubasa caught the expression on her face, knowing looks on as they both chuckled.

* * *

 _ **Elswhere…**_

Deep inside the old district of the city, within the abandoned hospital long forgotten, in one of the deeper rooms, the Tuners of the Finé group were gathered, Suiv and Skalla playing a card game while Oratorio sat on the edge of the window, trilling away on a well made ocarina, the soft sound carrying through the room.

"Two threes." Suiv set down what seemed like only one card, his face set in stone as Skalla struggled to hold a poker face of his own, looking at the rather sizable pile of cards and back at Suiv.

"I shoouldn't… but maybe I should… ahhh… Bullshit!" Skalla called out, slamming his free hand down onto the table, Suiv flipping over what he'd placed, revealing it was surely two cards… and two threes, to Skalla's shock, "AGGGHHH! It looked like it was only one!"

"If you looked at how I was holding it you would've seen there was two."

"Not fair…"

"Just take the pile."

Skalla grumbled as he took the pile of cards, glaring at his hand, then smirking as he slapped a card down, "One Ace!"

"Two kings."

"Ugh… you only have two cards left…"

"Make a move."

"Two queens!"

"Two jacks."

"Bullshit!"

Suiv then flipped over the two cards he'd placed, Skalla's face faulting as his opponent revealed to be telling the truth… which meant Skalla was holding the entire deck.

"You lose. Seriously, you had almost every card, you should've seen this coming."

"You would've ended up winning even if I hadn't said that!"

"No duh."

"Skalla, you're never going to win a game against Suiv unless you can ignore his poker face." Oratorio said, Skalla swinging his arms, the cards going flying.

"But he _always_ looks like that! How can I know if he's lying or not if there's not a single hint as to whether he is or not?" Skalla shouted, pointing one finger at Suiv while the other arm continued to flail around, Suiv sighing and adjusting his glasses.

"Playing Bullshit is all about being able to tell. There was actually several times I _was_ lying about what I placed but you didn't call it." Suiv stated, already getting to picking up the cards, Skalla grumbling as he followed suit.

"Well how was I supposed to know when your face is stuck like that?"

"Skalla, enough grumbling." Oratorio called out, Skalla making a dejected noise, the young man chuckling, leaning on a hand as he gazed out the window at the setting sun, rubbing his thumb on his pendant, "A full week, and so far nothing… hmph… but, something is going to start soon… I can just feel it."

"We can't make a move until Mom says something… and the Doctor's been busy with his little pet." Suiv muttered, "I don't trust that guy."

"Yeah but…" Skalla murmured, Oratorio standing up and switching spots onto the couch in the room, putting his arms behind his head.

"He's the only one who can help us find and raise Frontier… if we want to achieve our goal, we have to at least stick with this for that long. I don't trust him either, but what other choice do we have?" Oratorio said, Skalla nodding.

"Y-Yeah, that."

"Doesn't mean I have to trust that guy." Suiv muttered, the trio looking over when one of the doors clicked open, Maria entering the room, Suiv glancing at Skalla, "Let's go find Shirabe and Kirika and play a round or two with them. It'll be more fun with four people anyway."

"Wha-oh. Yeah!" Skalla took a moment to register it as Suiv picked up the deck of cards and left, the blue haired boy scrambling to follow, the two nodding to Maria as they left, the young woman closing the door behind them, and without much words behind it, Maria walked over and flopped down onto the couch, Oratorio yelping a bit as she landed on his chest.

"A bit of warning would've been nice, Maria." Oratorio muttered, wincing a bit as he let out a pained sound, sighing and giving an amused hum as Maria wrapped her around his chest, putting a hand on her head, "Huh, your hair's still pretty damp."

"I did just get out of the shower." Maria said, Oratorio giving a hum, staring at the ceiling, "Torio… are we doing the right thing?"

"Probably not. There's probably a million different we could go about all of this." Oratorio stated, "As for whether it's good or bad… well, we'll just have to see how it goes. Right and wrong don't exactly always mean good and bad, at least as far as my perspective goes."

"And yet… we find ourselves here… as the enemies of the world." Maria was quiet as she spoke, Oratorio putting his arms around her in turn. "I can't help but feel worried… what if we mess up?"

"We won't. I may not trust that doctor at all… but he has the knowledge we need to achieve the goal we have. So, for now, we just have to hope for the best. But, that _thing,_ worries me… I can still remember the last time that monster was around." Oratorio muttered, Maria's grip on him growing tighter, "Sorry… I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's… fine." Maria said, letting out a sigh, "I'm concerned too. But, what else can we do?"

"Not much, sadly." Oratorio grumbled.

"All we can do is fight for the ideals we believe in. Though… even though I've said we can't question ourselves… here I am, doing just that." Maria sighed, Oratorio nodding.

" _Yeah… but how many of our ideals are different than those of the other Symphogears? I'd much rather not be enemies with them but… we don't have a choice in that matter."_ Oratorio thought, giving a sigh of his own, blinking when Maria edged up on him, "Maria?"

"Torio…" Maria murmured, starting to close the gap between their faces, though when barely a gap was left… the alarm in the building began blaring, Oratorio's head sagging back as an annoyed groan escaped his mouth.

"Great…"

"Let's go see what it is."

"It's probably just that thing being fed again... but, fine."

The two shot up from the couch and hurried off, being joined by the four younger members of the group along the way, stopping at one of the rooms a ways down, the door opening to a dark room lit only by the dim glow of multiple monitors, two figures in the room that turned to the Gear users. One an old woman in a fancy mechanical wheelchair and the other, the thought missing Dr. Ver.

"Mom, what was that alarm?" Maria asked, Ver giving a hum.

"The next flower is still only a bud, so I wish to handle it with care." Ver said, Oratorio showing a more wary look than the others, though the way Suiv looked at the doctor said he was equally wary of the man.

"Thank you for your concern, but we are all right." The old woman said, "The Nephilim just went a little wild. I closed the blast doors and provided it with food, so it should calm down soon."

The reverberating crash however, wasn't very comforting with the state whatever the Nephilim was in.

"Ms. Natassja, I don't mean to be the pessimist of the group but…" Oratorio said, giving a sigh, "Can we really rely on something that can't be controlled? The Nephilim is a raging monster, even _if_ it's only in an infantile form for now."

"The necessary measures have already been taken, do not worry." Natassja replied, Oratorio clicking his tongue, "I know how you feel about this Oratorio, but please, bear with it."

"Yes, Mom." Oratorio replied, one of his hands bunching into a fist.

"More importantly, isn't it time for your inspection?" Ver said, Natassja nodding.

"The Frontier is a key element in the execution of our plan. It is necessary to keep a close eye on it to ensure operations begin smoothly." Natassja said, Ver showing a pleasant smile.

"Please don't worry about me." Ver said, "I'll hold the fort while you're gone and procure some more food for the Nephilim while I'm at it."

"Then let me leave Shirabe, Kirika, Suiv, and Skalla as our bodyguards."

"I wasn't planning on getting into any fights, so that shouldn't be necessary. It might be better for you to keep our forces as your personal guard."

"Very well. We shall return at the scheduled time. I leave the rest up to you."

As the rest left the room, Oratorio remained behind, glancing back at Ver as he put a hand on the door way, the doctor giving a hum.

"Let me make this clear right now doctor. I. Don't. Trust you." Oratorio said, giving a hard look towards Ver, one filled with clear disdain, "So I'll say this. Do _anything_ to hurt them, and I promise I'll gut you like a fish before you have time to beg."

"Hmph… I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

And that very night, the 2nd Division Symphogear team found themselves outside the abandoned hospital, Tsubasa holding her communicator up, Genjuuro finishing the briefing for the mission.

" _We need to put an end to this tonight!"_

" _I'm sorry we called you out so late on a school night."_ Shinji spoke next, Tsubasa shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it. This is our duty as sentinels." Tsubasa said, Kyomei nodding, Koto jumping back down to the ground from the perch he'd found himself up on.

"Nothing so far… it's too quiet. And this makes me think it's a trap." Koto stated, giving a humming sound as he rubbed an arm.

"So those others had their hideout right on the edge of town." Hibiki said, Ritsudo tapping a foot on the old road.

"Almost too convenient. Like Koto-senpai said, it's too quiet… we're probably walking right into a trap." Ritsudo said, turning his pendant over in his fingers as he spoke.

" _This hospital has been abandoned for a very long time."_ Shinji informed, _"But, various supplies have been flowing in little by little over the past two months. Unfortunately, that's about all we know, so we're going in blind."_

"Well, if they haven't slipped up yet, we'll have to see what we can do to change that!" Chris snickered.

"I'm in agreeance with Koto and Ritsudo, it's likely we're walking into a trap." Kyomei added, all three tuners getting looks from the Harmonics, "But… we have to move forward."

"Yeup! Even if it's a trap, gotta take the chance we get while it's here… let's just hope this doesn't bite us in the ass." Ritsudo went right from hot blooded declaration to flat muttering in less than a second, "Whatever, let's go!"

The six dashed off and headed inside, their path unobstructed for quite a while as they ran, their progress halting for a moment when the corridors in front of them began filling with a red gas, Ritsudo raising a brow as he looked at it.

"Wow, they're really setting up the whole 'abandoned hospital' atmosphere." Hibiki said, Ritsudo clicking his tongue and drawing Kusanagi, blue light already swirling around the blade.

"What's wrong? You scared?" Chris chuckled, Ritsudo giving her a light tap on the back of the head.

"That's not it! The air just feels so heavy…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo taking a step forward.

"It's probably something to do with whatever this stuff is. Let's blow this gas away before we move on. I don't wanna take a risk." Ritsudo raised his sword up, giving a yell as he brought it down, wind bursting forward from his swing and blowing most of the red gas away, the gale continuing down the path and clearing the hall of the red film.

"Huh, looks like the welcoming party has arrived." Koto chuckled, a group of Noise lumbering towards the team, Ritsudo chuckling as he flicked his sword back into it's pendant form and grabbed it.

"Then let's get the party started? Who's gonna take the lead?"

"Kindly!" Chris snickered, her activation call sounding first among the group.

 _ **(Start song, Bye Bye Lullaby from the OST)**_

Chris opened up the attack with her rotary guns, Ritsudo jumping over her and off the ceiling, slashing through a row of the Noise with a clean attack before retreating back to the others as they formed up, more Noise popping up from the ground to replace the ones that had been scythed down.

"Bets that these are being controlled by the missing Staff of Solomon? Anybody?" Koto said, the others nodding, "Well, let's not waste any time. Ritsudo, Chris, Hibiki, you three take the lead, and cover Chris so the Noise don't get behind her. We'll cover any stragglers!"

" **Roger!"**

The six shot forward in formation, their attacks blowing through the Noise was usual, but, as the fighting continued on, somehow, the Noise they were striking didn't just crumble to ash like normal, instead they began regenerating, the two groups ending up surrounded in no time due to the shift in power, fatigue showing on their faces.

"What?" Hibiki panted, Ritsudo giving a growl.

"Why can't we do enough damage?" Chris said, Ritusdo looking around at the flickers of the red gas remaining.

"It probably… has to do with that gas… something about it… is somehow making our outputs drop." Ritsudo said, gritting his teeth, "Damn… if I'd used a stronger blast I'd have cleared all of this away."

 **(end song)**

"Just keep fighting… we can still fight, so don't stop!" Koto shouted, the others nodding, continuing the fight until their enemies stopped regenerating, but fatigue was clearly beginning to settle in, rather oddly considering each of them were perfectly compatible with their Gears. Such an event shouldn't have been happening.

"What _is_ this stuff?" Kyomei said, Koto grimacing.

"It's gotta be… some kind of Anti-Linker… who the hell made this?" Koto said, catching sight of a rapidly moving shape in the corner of his eye, "Hibiki, behind you and Chris, something's coming!"

Hibiki reacted in time to punch _something_ to stop it from hitting Chris, the creating shooting back from the blow, launching back quickly, Ritsudo swiping at it and batting it away, but whatever it was, it was seemingly undamaged from the direct blow from an Armed Gear… even weirder, the creature didn't look like a Noise.

"What the fuck _is_ that?" Ritsudo said, a mix between shock and disgust on his face from the unabashed _monster_ facing he group.

"You hit it head on with your Armed Gear!" Chris gasped, Kyomei's eyes going wide.

"If it didn't crumble to ash… I that thing's not a Noise." Kyomei said.

"Then what _is_ that monster?" Chris asked.

"'Cause it looks like it from a horror game! The fact we're in an old hospital is _not_ helping with the comparison either!" Ritsudo added, and the six gasped when they heard clapping, footsteps signaling somebody was drawing closer, Hibiki making a more audible noise once the individual became easier to see.

Ver himself, as it was, the creature retreating back into a cage by Ver's side.

"You're surprisingly sharp." Ver hummed.

"But… when the Iwakuni base was attacked…" Hibiki gasped, Ritsudo giving a growl.

"I get it… those Noise attacks were all orchestrated." Chris said.

"Son of a bitch!" Ritsudo growled, Ver however keeping a pleasant expression.

"It was all rather simple, I assure you." Ver said, something about his tone however, seemed almost mocking, "By the time of the attack, the Staff of Solomon was no longer in its case. I had concealed it underneath my coat."

"That answers that question." Koto huffed.

"So to steal the Staff, you pretended to be attacked and go missing?" Tsubasa inquired, Kyomei aiming his rifle.

"Which means you're the one who's been controlling the Noise this entire time!" Kyomei accused, no denial of any sort coming from the doctor.

"Exactly as you say, Vijaya." Ver mused, producing the Staff of Solomon from his coat and holding it to the side, calling forth two Noise from it, "Summoning Noise from the Treasury of Babylonia and controlling them is something only this Staff can do. And the one most suited to wield the Staff right now… is me! Don't you agree?"

"I dunno, those crazy eyes say otherwise." Ritsudo deadpanned, Chris clicking her tongue.

"Of course not!" Chris shouted, opened up her Gear's missile bays.

"Chris, calm down!" Ritsudo yelled, but it was too little too late, Chris freezing for a moment before attacking, though when she did, she screamed in pain, the explosions raining wildly all over the place, and as dust flew from the air, a cluster of Noise slid out from the smoke, an unharmed Ver emerging from within the crumbling shell, the Symphogear users emerging from the rubble, Ritsudo carrying Chris with one of her arms over his shoulder.

"Damn… why do I feel like _I_ got hit with those missiles?" Chris grumbled, Ritsudo gritting his teeth.

" _With the state we're in now, our Gears are inducing backlash… if we use our bigger moves like this, we could end up killing ourselves with the recoil alone."_ Ritsudo thought, the grip on his sword tightening.

"Look!" Hibiki shouted, attention moving to a blimp like Noise carrying the cage with the creature inside of it off, "One of the Noise has the cage from before?"

"Damn… come on…" Kyomei grumbled as he aimed with his extended rifle, lowering it, "Darn… my aim is too shaky to get a good lineup right now."

"Tachibana, Koto, apprehend him! Narukami, take care of Yukine! Kyomei, let's go!" Tsubasa ordred, Kyomei nodding and following her as she ran off, Ver only chuckling as Koto and Hibiki took stances in front of him, lifting his arms.

 **(start song,** _ **Gekko no Ken**_ **from the OST)**

"What's the plan!" Kyomei shouted, Tsubasa ahead of him on the open highway.

"I'll get close with Ame-no-Habakiri's superior agility. Once I cut the cage down, shoot it and take care of whatever that creature is!" Tsubasa stated, Kyomei only nodding.

" _Go for it! Jump, Tsubas!"_ Genjuuro's voice came over the line, Kyomei blinking as he glanced away from his scope.

" _Jump out over the sea! Just jump and you'll make it!"_ Shinji shouted, Tsubasa glancing back at Kyomei, who nodded, dropping into a slide and halting near the edge of the unfinished road, spikes shooting from his rifle and jamming into the ground to form a bipod, Tsubasa leaping from the edge and into the air, her leg blades folding down and boosting her forward, and as she descended from the ark, a shake shape came bursting from the water.

A massive submarine, the new base for the 2nd Division, rose forward, Tsubasa landing on it's nose and using the platform given to her to launch back into the air, her sword flashing through the air, the Noise carrying the cage crumbling away, Kyomei aiming with his steadied rifle, leading the cage, his finger pressing down on the trigger to fire, though before he could fully fire the shot, a burst of white and heat washed over him, Kyomei retreating as an attack came his way, cartwheeling back to avoid the strike, his eyes widening to see that, with a flourish of his cape, the armored and masked Oratorio had appeared before him, Tsubasa trying to reach out of the cage, only for another attack to strike her away from it.

 _ **(stop song)**_

The attack had come from a black spear, now hovering over the water, Tsubasa crashing into the waves, the spears owner soon landing on the floating weapon, Maria catching the falling cage with one hand, the sun breaking through the horizon, the light of dawn illuminating the two black armored Symphogears before the group.

"Just in time, Finé." Ver chuckled, those holding him gasping, Koto's eyes the widest as he looked back at Oratorio and Maria, "It means "the end." It is a name not borne only of our organization, but also by the girl you see before you. And standing with her is her ever loyal black knight."

"Wait, you don't mean they're…" Hibiki gasped, Koto's hands gripping his staff tightly.

"A newly awakened, reborn Finé! And with her, the ever-loyal knight, Scortura!" Ver declared, Maria's eyes opening, the look matching the flat blue of Oratorio's mask, the dawn feeling far more dreadful than such an event usually heralded…

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Man, the chapters for this story are starting to get longer and longer… eh, whatever, it's fine and fun as heck! Hehehehehe. Oh man, I've got a lot to do here in G, but it will be SOOO worth it. Now, onwards!**


	21. G Stanza V

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza V: Cuore contro Mente**

"A new Finé _and_ a new Scortura?" Koto had what was probably the harshest grimace on his face as he looked at Oratorio and Maria, his expression stiff but whatever feelings of anger that were welling up inside of him were shown by how the grip on his staff became _much_ tigher, and Hibiki had an even more shocked look than the others.

"That can't be… Ryoko-san said…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo clicking his tongue, the two thinking back to that day several months ago, and the phrase they'd been left with.

" _Believe in the song of your heart."_

"Something's definitely up." Ritsudo muttered.

"Finé is able to awaken her consciousness within anyone who carries her genes, the same with that damn knight of hers. They both exist within an eternal moment while continually being reborn throughout history." Chris said, Hibiki blinking.

"But then, what happened to the singer Maria, or whoever that masked one is too?" Hibiki said, Ver giving a chuckle.

"I guess that's something we'd _all_ like to know." Ver said, Ritsudo giving a glare towards the man, then looking to Koto and following it to Oratorio.

" _Could there really be two of the same person around at the same time? Koto-senpai may be in control, but there's still the fact that for a time, he was being controlled by that Scortura guy… wouldn't it be some kind of paradox if two people were like that at the same time?"_ Ritsudo couldn't help the thought from coming to him.

Breaking the shocked silence aside from the small talks, Tsubasa shot from the water and at Maria, Oratorio giving a hum as he turned from the starting fight between the two, looking at Kyomei, lifting his left hand, flames flickering at the fingers of his gauntlet.

"So, what will you do?" Oratorio asked, Kyomei standing straight, steam bursting from his rifle as he changed the weapon into it's twin blades form, spinning the blades into their reverse grips, "Hmph, good answer."

White flames shot from Oratorio's hand before forming into his sword, Kyomei dashing forward and striking, Oratorio blocking the slashes with his cape before returning the blow with a two handed strike of his sword, Kyomei blocking it and retreating as the flaming blade burst outward to attack past the block, Oratorio whipping his cape out and snaring Kyomei, tossing his foe off of the high and over the water, Kyomei spinning in the air and landing on the still risen submarine, he and Tsubasa both skidding to a stop, Maria tossing the cage in her hand upwards into the air, the object vanishing into something, Maria and Oratorio then both leaping to the submarine, the armored woman recalling her spear from it's place hovering above the water.

"Maria, we should make this quick." Oratorio said, Maria nodding.

"Yes… let's fight with everything we've got!" Maria replied, and Kyomei and Tsubasa were already seeing what they were going to do… and in tandem, all four of them shouted out.

" _ **OVERLAY!"**_

 _ **(Begin Kakumei Dualism by TM Revolution and Nana Mizuki (sung by Oratorio and Maria in this case))**_

Four pillars of light burst forward before gathering into two single one mixed lights, the pillars fading as the four shot forward and began the clash, but now that their foes were also Synchronized, Oratorio and Maria were showing to be outpacing Kyomei and Tsubasa, who were still weakened because of the Anti-Linker they were exposed to earlier.

While Oratorio attacked forwardly, fending off both Tsubasa and Kyomei when they struck, Maria matched Tsubasa's blade with the heavy swings of her spear, attacks from her cape ripping through the outer hull of the submarine while Oratorio's sword left burning gouges in the metal whenever the blade missed it's target, and while Tsubasa and Kyomei were left panting once they were free of the assault, their enemies weren't showing a single sign of fatigue.

" _Tsubasa, Kyomei, get them off the deck!"_ Genjuuro shouted, the two Symphogear's glancing at each other, Tsubasa dropping her sword into her armor and shooting forward, flipping into a spinning attack at her enemies, Kyomei firing his rifle as fast as he could pull the trigger to drive Oratorio away from Maria, rushing back in and driving the barrel of his weapon onto Oratorio's armor.

"We win!" Kyomei shouted, Oratorio already moving as Maria did.

"Don't be so sure!" Oratorio said, he and Maria driving their attackers back with quick attacks, Tsubasa flipping to get out of her move, but when she hit the ground, she grimaced as pain shot through her leg, the exact spot where she'd been hit earlier.

"Got you!" Maria yelled, driving her spear forward to strike, Kyomei getting between her and Tsubasa and taking the blow, the spear driving away parts of the armor on his shoulder, Tsubasa getting slammed by Kyomei as he was flung backwards, the two sprawling out on the surface, Kyomei holding his shoulder as he and Tsubasa struggled to their knees.

 _ **(end song)**_

"What did she do?!" Chris said, Koto gritting his teeth.

"It was where Tsubasa had been hit at the start." Koto said, Chris aiming her prepped crossbow.

"Then I guess it's time for the white knight to step in!" Chris said, Ritsudo ready to jump to the submarine himself.

 _ **(start song "Supernova" by Tetra Fang, sung by Skalla)**_

" _I believe it's about that time."_ Ver gave a smirk as the thought ran though his head, the Symphogear's holding him shooting away when buzzsaws and black and white bolts shot at them, Chris keeping a grip on the Staff of Solomon as she redirected her aim, Ritsudo bringing his sword around once he'd escaped the ranged assault as he heard a noise in the air, the ringing of blades slamming together sounding as his katana was met with Skalla's golden short swords, the ring from the clash making Ritsudo flinch backwards.

"The hell?!" Ritsudo growled, slamming his foot into the asphalt to halt his skidding, Skalla spinning both weapons in his hands before slamming their hilts together, turning the weapons into a bladed quarter staff, Ritsudo ducking to avoid the attacking, his second blae shooting off of his gauntlet and into his hand, Skalla wheeling back to avoid the closing attack that followed it, Ritsudo glancing over in the moment he had to the others, clicking his tongue when he saw Chris moving back from a strong attack from Kirika's scythe, _"Not good. Chris is no good melee range."_

"Pay attention bucko!" Skalla chuckled, spinning his staff and slamming it into the ground, the blade driving right into the asphalt, Ritsudo freezing as he was hit by the pulse wave that shot out, "Cause the noise is over here."

"Now _that_ was just lame!" Ritsudo growled and shot forward, metal ringing again as their weapons met.

Whereas with Koto and Hibiki, the latter was fending off a swirl of buzz saws from Shirabe while Koto was nimbly avoiding the beams fired at him by Suiv, the eldest of the 2nd Division Tuners halting and swatting aside a bolt, Suiv recalling his daggers with a swift move, Koto giving a steady glare to the boy standing across from him.

"What the hell are all of you planning?" Koto grumbled, Suiv only tossing a dagger in his hand, "What kind of plan requires using a monster like whatever that _thing_ was?!"

"Personally, that's something I'd like to know myself." Suiv flicked out his hands, the daggers flying outwards into an array like feathers, Suiv pulling down on the strings until they aimed.

 _ **[Clamoring Feathers]**_

With movements almost like those of a conductors, Suiv directed the daggers to dive and swipe at Koto while others fired bolts at him, effectively trying to trap the other Tuner in a box of attacks from all sides, to which Koto countered with the swift moves of his staff, and using its ability to extend to vault himself out of the "box" he'd been in, Suiv then ceasing the attack and jumping off.

And off on the other end, Ritsudo stepped back from Skalla's rapid assault of swipes and pokes with his bladed staff, the younger Tuner twirling the weapon around onto his shoulders, slamming it into the ground and vaulting up, Ritsudo moving to parry, though as he did, the blades of the staff shot upwards and spun, turning the weapon from a staff into a bladed hammer of all weapons, Ritsudo barely managing to block the attack by summoning the winds around his blades, skidding back and stabbing both his swords into the ground to make an impromptu break, leaving gouges in the asphalt, Skalla chuckling as he shot off, Ritsudo about to shoot after, only to get slammed to the ground when Chris slammed into him, Ritsudo barely managing to stand and catch the girl.

"Chris?!" Ritsudo yelped, the white haired girl grimacing as she managed to stand, Koto and Hibiki getting back to the twos side, all four looking over to see Shirabe handing the Staff of Solomon back to Ver, Suiv landing nearby as he retrieved his daggers with flicks of his wrist.

"You're just in time. You saved us." Ver said, balancing the Staff in his hands for a moment, "I would've liked if you'd left some of the fun for me though."

"None of us came here to help you." Suiv and Shirabe said at once, Very making a shrugging gesture.

"My how harsh, and from _both_ at the same time." Ver said, an amused tone to his words.

 _ **(end song)**_

"Dammit, my synch rate is dropping so low I can barely move." Chris grumbled as Ritsudo helped her stand properly, a sardonic smirk on, "How the hell are you looking to be in top form?"

"Chris, not the time nor the place." Ritsudo replied.

"But where did they come from?" Hibiki wondered, looking around for any sign of where their opponents could have appeared from, Koto keeping his staff ready.

And back on the ship, the exhausted Kyomei and Tsubasa were left panting, their foes standing across them and not moving, but Maria had a hand on her side, and she clicked her tongue as she thought back to the exchange moments earlier.

" _The archer made it too easy… that sword isn't just a pretty face, she was able to match my blow with even force when I couldn't see her… but, with his arm injured, that boy shouldn't be able to use his ranged weapons."_ Maria thought, her hand moving to reveal a gash in the side armor of her Gear, Kyomei and Tsubasa testing their movements at the same time.

"It's coming back…" Kyomei murmured, _"The effects of that Anti-Linker have worn off… but, taking that hit from a Gungnir head on left my arm too injured to shoulder my rifle or use my bow."_

But, as for the other end, Maria was starting to show fatigue of her own despite not being injured, a sign Oratorio noticed.

" _Her synch ratio is falling… Maria doesn't have a perfect combat ability to her Gungnir… tch, it's some kind of bad luck I'm the only one among us who doesn't need LiNKER to sustain my Gear for long periods of time. I should probably be counting my blessings, but…"_ Oratorio clicked his tongue as the thoughts of it came to mind, humming when Natassja's voice broke through his thoughts.

" _Your synch ratio is dropping. We've already recovered the Nephilim. Return at once."_

"That's as far as I can go?!" Maria shouted, stopping when Oratorio put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head, "Torio?"

"There's no point. With the Nephilim contained we don't have a reason to keep fighting them. Let's just go and plan what to do next. Besides…" with a wave of his hand, Oratorio dismissed his sword, "I don't feel like further fighting would lead to anything."

"What?" Kyomei muttered, Tsubasa's eyes wide when she heard what Maria said, both thinking the same thing.

"Don't tell me you're using the same LiNKER drug Kanade did…" Tsubasa said, the air starting to whip around along with the chopping sound of helicopter blades, Maria and Oratorio jumping and grabbing onto retrieval lines that had seemingly appeared from nowhere, a shimmer in the air then changing, revealing a VTOL hovering above the submarine, Oratorio looking back down at Tsubasa and Kyomei as he and Maria stepped up onto the open entrance, his mask falling back and away, showing his expression to be neutral, but with a wistful look to it, one of regret.

* * *

"What are you trying to do?!" Hibiki shouted, the four younger Symphogears backed by the rising sun.

"We protect what justice cannot." Shirabe said, Hibiki's eyes widening.

"What justice can't? The heck does that mean?" Koto murmured, all of them but Chris flinching as the air started whipping around, the FIS VTOL descending down above the highway and retrieving the remaining members, Chris breaking free from Ritsudo's supporting hold as the airship began to fly off, her crossbow changing into a rifle of her own, the girl setting it down on a bipod as her head segment turned into a targeting visor, the VTOL in her sights as the lock-on began.

 _ **[Red Hot Blaze]**_

"Give back the Staff of Solomon." Chris growled, though as the VTOL flew off, it's form shimmered again, vanishing from sight, Chris losing her lock on as soon as it did, "What?!"

"Stealth functions… geez. We don't have crap like that, so why the hell do they do?!" Ritsudo grumbled, his swords returning to their folded forms and slotting back into his gauntlets, and he glanced at Chris as she stood up and let out a harsh scoff, _"This entire thing with that Staff… Chris, you don't think you have to do this alone, do you?"_

* * *

Ver let out a hiss as he was hit in the chest by two hits, Kirika and Skalla both giving him glares, the blonde girl bending down and grabbing the doctor by his coat.

"What were you thinking?" Kirika demanded, "If they take control of the base, were are we supposed to hide until we can execute our plan?"

"You lead them right to us! What the hell man?!" Skalla added, "All of my stuff was in that hospital, heck, all of _our stuff,_ collectively, was in that place!"

"Nice of you to put the collective second." Suiv deadpanned, adjusting his glasses per the usual manner, Skalla faulting as he realized where he screwed up in the phrasing, "But, they have a point doctor. Leaving evidence lying around after we made our first move wasn't the smartest thing, especially since you were supposed to remain outside of the arena. Or were you so preoccupied with your little pet you didn't care if they found us or not?"

"Stop it." Maria said, the three kids looking to her, "Whatever you do, it's pointless now."

"But, they are right." Oratorio added, his gaze cold as it turned to Ver, "You're proving to be a bit of a liability doctor. You're lucky you're the one keeping Mom alive, else we'd have probably thrown you to that 2nd Division lot."

"Oh come now, it was only one incident, is that so much to be riled up over?" Ver asked, Suiv showing a sharpened, harsher look.

"I think when the fate of the world is on the line, you can't afford screw ups this big." Suiv said.

"Don't I even get a chance to apologize?"

"No."

" _Fortunately, we were able to protect our treasure."_ Natassja appeared on the monitor of the room, the group turning to face her as she spoke, _"However, now that they've taken control of our base, we have nothing to feed the Nephilim. This is a problem."_

"I personally think not using that thing is for the best." Oratorio spoke under his breath, though Maria caught the bitterness in the quiet remark.

"It's quiet now, but who knows when it'll get hungry and go wild again?" Shirabe said, Oratorio glancing at the caged monster.

"I could always just put it down like a rabid animal if that'd fix it." Oratorio flatly stated, acidic disdain for the creature in his voice, the others looking at him with some mix of surprise, though Maria and Natassja had expressions showing they knew better… that they knew exactly why the young man was so against the idea of using that monster.

"We may no longer have a food source, but we haven't run out of options." Ver said, looking closely at the pendants of the Symphogears before him, an idea already brewing in his mind.

* * *

Ritsudo sighed as he laid back on the surface mobile base, staring up at the few clouds in the sky, the others silently sitting there behind him, everyone out of it after the result of that last fight. The mood was simply silent, nobody wanting to talk about anything.

"Are all of you alright?" The hatch burst open with Genjuuro exiting, the man rushing out to the teenagers sitting there, Ritsudo moving up from his laying position, fiddling with his pendant again as all of them turned towards the commander.

"Commander…" Hibiki said, looking down, "When we fought Ryoko-san, I felt that, even though we didn't agree on many things, that we could still come to an understanding. But now…"

"Well… I actually don't think those others are that different than us." Ritsudo said, eyes turning to him as he stood up, the sea breeze blowing by, the boy moving his hair out of his face as he looked at the horizon, "They want to save something, even if they're willing to use any means they can to do it… I think, if we try a bit, we can figure out what that is, what all of them are fighting so hard for they'd be willing to make themselves the enemies of the world. Maybe it's for a good reason, or, maybe they really are the bad guys they're making themselves out to be."

"And if they don't understand, just keeping beating on them until they do. You of all people should understand there are things stronger than words!" Genjuuro said, earning a light sigh from Ritsudo, who put a hand on his face, the others, sans Hibiki, _also_ sighing to such a statement.

"Boss, that… wasn't _exactly_ the point I was trying to get across. But… whatever." Ritsudo sighed again as Hibiki looked more enthused.

"I didn't understand a word of that! But, I'll give it a shot!" Hibiki said, Ritsudo rolling his eyes, but giving an amused chuckle all the same.

"You're the salt of the earth Hibiki." Ritsudo mused, his tone with that statement more amused than the previous time he'd used the phrase, Hibiki looking back to him with her signature smile back on, but the wistful look on Ritsudo's face came back the moment he looked back out to the bright horizon, _"I can't shake this feeling though… it feels like something is going to go wrong… I don't know how, and I don't know when… but, something doesn't feel right… and, I can't help but shake this feeling that it's going to happen to Hibiki."_

The image flashed in his mind… of the battle at Kadingir during the Lunar Attack, when Hibiki lost control to the fragments inside of her. He had a scar from it as a reminder after all.

"We really don't have it easy at any time." Ritsudo sighed, gripping his pendant tightly in his pocket, "But… we can only do the best we can from where we stand after all."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Whooo boy, wish I'd have gotten this done sooner, but, new job. Weird scheduling is also kinda making it… well, ALSO weird to find time to write anything. But, we're on the cusp of some stuff, and I plan to show a bit of things before speeding right along. Character moments time! Whoo! See ya'll next chapter!**


	22. G Stanza VI

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza VI: Cuore Sconosciuto**

By this point, Ritsudo would be beside himself if he actually complained about the situation he was in as he woke up. Considering over the past few months, he'd grown used to Chris sneaking into his bed in the middle of the night.

But, aside from the trouble of slinking out of her seemingly always tighter grip, there was _one_ complaint he could level: Her choice of nightwear. The tense look on the silver-eyed young man's face said all as he strained to keep his eyes from moving.

"Sane logic dictates that there is a limit to self-control being restrained…" Ritsudo sighed as he managed to shuffle out of the bed, quickly throwing a pillow into his previous spot as Chris shifted, throwing on a track jersey as he left the room and beelined for the kitchen, the crackling sounds of a morning meal being made shortly following after his entry to the space.

The apartment Ritsudo and Chris now occupied, rather than staying in the new school dorms, was spacious enough for the two teens… probably _too_ spacious if one asked Ritsudo, who up until recently had lived in studio apartments or the aforementioned dorms for the more recent half of his life. The furnishings were at least relatively normal, if a bit more expensive than one probably would have expected to fill the accommodations of a couple of 16-year-olds, though what was probably the most notable part of the placements around was the currently closed Buddhist shrine… an addition added by request of Chris.

"Hmm… I should probably give Koto-senpai a call and ask to talk… maybe he can tell me something… he'd know more about the Gungnir than anyone else." Ritsudo hummed to himself his thoughts aloud as he continued to cook, dwelling over thoughts arising from the last battle, taking a moment to tug his shirt's collar forward, his eyes stuck on the forte scar marking his chest, but now beneath it was a new one, angular and narrow… the scar earned during the Lunar Attack when he'd taken a blow from the berserk Hibiki. "I don't know why… but something is making me think of that, and it doesn't feel right…"

"Morning…" A sleepy looking Chris then shuffled into the room, still clutching a pillow as a strap on her night shirt was slipped, flopping down onto a chair and yawning, "What's for breakfast?"

"Just the usual, eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Something easy considering how long we were up the other day." Ritsudo started placing the plates, plucking the pillow out of Chris' grasp and tossing it to the side, the short girl sighing in annoyance as she leaned on her arm.

"Yeah that sucked. And they freaking got away. Fffffhhhh, is pisses me off!" Chris grumbled, Ritsudo shrugging as he sat down.

"Not like we could've seen that coming. Just one of those things that was out of our hands." Ritsudo said, prodding at his own eggs until the yoke broke, "But, we're going to have to be wary. Who knows what they'll do next, especially since they have that monster with them."

"What the heck even _was_ that thing?"

"Hell if I know." Ritsudo sighed and pulled out his phone, Chris tilting her head as he started typing, not even needing to say a word for Ritsudo to get what she was about to say, "Texting Koto-senpai… there's something I want to ask him about after school today."

"Eh?"

"It's nothing… at least, for now."

"Eh, fine then. Wait… aren't you still preparing for the culture festival?"

"Got that done the other day."

"EH?! How fast are you guys?"

"Hehehe. Oh, also…" _*WHAP*_ the phrase was followed up by Ritsudo pulling a paper fan out from nowhere and whacking Chris square on the top of the head with it, "Kyomei told me about how you were running off from helping your own class."

"OW! So?" Chris held the now slightly sore spot on her head, Ritsudo sighing as he sat back down properly.

"You need to try and make friends Chris. It's no good if you keep running off every time someone tries to be friendly with you." Ritsudo pointed at Chris with his fork, the tone of a scolding sibling in his voice as he spoke, Chris just giving a sigh, "I'm not kidding. I get adjusting to a normal life isn't all that easy for you… but, come on."

"It doesn't matter that much. We don't have time to be concerned with stuff like this anyway." Chris muttered, Ritsudo leaning forward and flicking her square in the middle of her forehead, Chris holding the spot as she yelped, Ritsudo snickering as he moved back when Chris retaliated with a swipe of her arm.

"You need to lighten up a bit. Learn to have some fun why don't ya'?"

"How can you be so chipper all the time nowadays, geez?"

"Hehehe, guess I picked up on some things." Ritsudo mused, Chris sighing, and he caught her hiding the faint traces of a smile, "Ahh, don't try hiding it, I caught that smile."

"You didn't see anything."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't."

* * *

"HYAAH!"

"TWAAAH!"

The sound of wood slapping onto reinforced nylon guards shot through the air around the yard as Ritsudo and Hibiki continued on in their practice, Koto watching from the sides with a watch on hand, occasionally glancing at the time as his two juniors continued their rather intense sparring session, yet the way they moved was like they knew exactly how the other was going to the moment they so much as twitched.

" _The more I watch these two train together, the more I start to get how they synch up so well even without being able to use Synchronization. Geez Genjuuro, you got that "bond between warriors" thing drilled into their heads."_

 _CRACK!_

The sound of wood straining and then breaking apart signaled the end of the match as one of Hibiki's punches drove right through the solid wood of Ritsudo's _bokken,_ the white haired boy stumbling from the sudden shift in weight in his hands, halting only to be met by Hibiki's knuckles tapping his forehead, the girl chuckling as the broken piece of the _bokken_ smacked onto the ground.

"Dammit, that's the tenth one of these you've broken now!" Ritsudo sighed, holding the splintered handle of the item in his hand before tossing it over his shoulder, Hibiki putting a hand behind her head as she nervously chuckled.

"Ehehhe, sorry Ritsu!"

"Sorry my ass! Those come out of my pocket! You owe me for this one!"

"OWOWOWOW! Please stop that hurts!"

Koto just chuckled as Ritsudo shot forward and started grinding his knuckles into the sides of Hibiki's head, the blonde girl yelping as he kept up the twisting, Koto whistling loudly to stop it, Hibiki dropping to her knees once Ritsudo ceased the punishment, her head spinning in a daze, Ritsudo putting his hands on his hips.

"Alright, I think that's enough for now. Head on inside and clean up a bit." Koto jabbed his thumb back, Hibiki shooting up.

"Yes sir!" Hibiki dashed in first, and Koto hummed when Ritsudo stayed, first picking up the broken pieces of his _bokken,_ then sighing.

"Senpai… can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Can you… feel something off? Something off with Hibiki?"

"What?"

"Hagh…" Ritsudo sighed and sat down on the edge of the porch, Koto glancing down at him as the white-haired boy started tugging at the grass, pulling up a few strands and starting to braid them together, "I just feel like _something_ is going to happen, that something will go wrong… and for some reason I feel like it'll have to do with Hibiki again. So… I wanted to ask. You were partnered with the Gungnir's previous owner, and even Synchronized with it. So… I figured if anyone would know anything about it… it'd be you."

"Well… I won't lie about it." Koto said, sitting down himself, "Synchronzation has some… _interesting_ after-effects, especially as you do it more. The attunement becomes more and more natural until it's like you no longer have to synchronize completely to know what the other is thinking, or feel their Gear's power, kine of like you and Hibiki even though you two never Synchronized."

"Well, there was the attempt at doing it. I was told the readings were fine at first, but then they suddenly dropped… I think that was more Kusanagi's doing. It's a strange Relic, that's for sure. I still don't know what else it can do." Ritsudo said, Koto chuckling.

"So, you've been hit by backlash from a failed Synch huh? Must have sucked." Koto said, Ritsudo only nodding, continuing to thread more blades of grass together, Koto letting out a breath, continuing. "Kanade never had much time to use her Gear, since she had to use Linker, so she often prioritized Synching as much as possible since it'd give her more time. So, yeah, I have a feel for the Gungnir pretty well."

"Can you tell if something is off because of that?" Ritsudo inquired, Koto leaning back on his arms.

"Somewhat. Because Hibiki's Gungnir is directly part of her, basically a Human/Relic hybrid, it's a bit different but… well, I can definitely feel something _off_ about it, something sinister."

"Yeah…" Ritsudo stopped his small task, his mind flashing back to the Lunar Attack again, of the berserk Hibiki lost to the darker power of her Relic. _"Maybe it has to directly do with that… she went berserk because of how it fused with her… so… that means it could get worse. Did Kusanagi reject her Gungnir because it could tell something was off about it? If it has to do with that berserk state… will it happen again?"_

"So… Hibiki, or Chris?"

"Eh?"

The question was both so out of left field that Ritsudo's train of thought slammed to a grating halt, or rather one could say crash, as he looked at Koto with an expression one could only call incredulous, the senior Symphogear user sighing as he leaned back on the post he was near.

"Let me rephrase that in a bit of a longer way." Koto spun a finger, a serious expression on his face, "Who do you care about the most? Chris, or Hibiki? Allow me to state the question as such: You and Hibiki were partners before, and still fight together frequently. You know how the other thinks like reading a book and are on the same wavelength, surprisingly enough. Her personality can be a bit odd, so I don't know the _exact_ extent of her feelings towards you, but she cares about you a lot, and… well, don't tell her I said this, but Hibiki also still feels rather guilty over hurting you back during the Lunar Attack, granted I'm sure it'd be the same for any of her friends. That girl hides a lot of things well, but some things slip through the cracks every now and then… that, or I'm just really good at reading people now."

"Maybe both."

"Hehehe, maybe." Koto then gave a hum, "Now Chris… I don't know as much about her, but that girl's like an open book… she tries to act like she can keep things hidden, but she's not very good at it, but unlike Hibiki she's more aware of her own issues… that or Hibiki just doesn't talk about any of her issues, I can't exactly peg that one, _but,_ on topic. At the least, she's an earnest kid, just, not used to the new lease on life you've given her. But… well, I'm pretty sure you already know this, but, she relies on you, a lot. To the point I'm pretty sure that girl would backpedal a bit if you weren't around. Everyone can see it, so I'm pretty sure you can too."

"I'd have to be an idiot not to, what with how she uses me as a hugging pillow almost every night."

"You know what I mean." Koto hummed, Ritsudo sighing, "So, with those two relatively even breakdowns had, let me say it again: Hibiki or Chris?"

"Well, I mean, obviously it's…" Ritsudo suddenly stopped, Koto only nodding as the teen's look went from an almost annoyed look to confusion at his mind grinding to a complete halt, the best word to describe it yet again being incredulous, "I… don't know…"

"Ah, the look of someone who just realized this little called love is a lot more complicated than you'd think." Koto hummed, Ritsudo putting a hand on his head, Koto putting his arms behind his head, "Well, I may have had it a bit on the easy side, kind of. Kanade and I just clicked from the moment we met… well, kind of. When I first met her, she was a boiling ball of rage so… yeah."

"You're strange, y'know that senpai? Ugh, one of these days I just need to hear the full story of how things were before me and Hibiki came along." Ritsudo sighed, Koto giving a shrug, then Ritsudo let out a small growl as he put his hands on his head, "How is it so confusing? I mean, it can't be _that hard_ to figure it out right? I mean… I do care about both of them, a lot… Hibiki was one of my first friends, and Chris is like family to me now but… why is it so confusing?"

"Lemme give you some advice Ritsudo." Koto said, sitting straight, leaning on a hand as he looked at the sky, "Sometimes your own feelings become a mess, and you get lost as you try to figure them out. Sometimes it's enough to crush everything about you as you do nothing but wander trying to find an answer that was really always in front of you… or sometimes it's as simple as looking around you, to see the forest for the trees and stop worrying about the finer details for a moment. So, right now, it's not question of what's the particulars of it… rather, the question you should be asking yourself is "What are these feelings I have inside of my heart?" It's a lot like our songs really… formed from how we feel inside, and a perfect reflection of our states of mind."

"What are the feelings inside of my heart, huh?" Ritsudo put a hand near his chest, giving a sigh, then thinking on the rest, "Speaking of songs… ours all changed with our evolved Gears, but, yours didn't… granted your Gear didn't change much from the state it was in when you got free of that Scortura. But, if we all had a change then… why didn't you?"

"Heh… I guess it's because of something in here too. There's still a wish I need to fulfill for someone… and until I do, I guess those words in my heart won't change." Koto hummed and then gave a chuckle, followed by a soft sigh, "It still doesn't feel the same for without her around, at least for me. Well, a lot of things feel odd since I spent two years in some kind of dream, so a lot of things are odd. But, well… maybe that's why."

"A wish from another?"

"To see what's on the other side of the battlefield." Koto stated, "Kanade's wish was to see what kind of world waited for us once all of the fighting was over, once the Noise had finally been dealt with. The thing is, when she first began to use Gungnir, all Kanade thought of was fighting, of getting revenge on the Noise for ruining her life. But then one day… she ended up having a change of it. That angry girl I first met started smiling and actually finding ways to have fun… it was then I found out for myself I was in love with Kanade, and all it took was one moment."

Koto chuckled as he laid down on the porch, Ritsudo glancing at him as a content sigh left the young man's mouth, Ritsudo turning and looking back to the clouds as he fiddled with the threaded grass in his hand, letting out a deep sigh of his own.

"I guess not everyone can be that lucky, huh?" Ritsudo hummed, bringing the threaded bunch to his lips and blowing into it, a high pitched trill sounding from it, but when it flatered, Ritsudo stopped and clicked his tongue, tugging at the strands to correct the weave of it, "Still can't make these things correctly…"

"So, hey… just think about it." Koto said, Ritsudo glancing back at him as the senior Gear user sat up. "You'll figure it out, whether it be one moment of realization, or a slow burn down to finding what it is you're looking for."

"Cryptic as hell, but I'll take it." Ritsudo's dry reply got a chuckle out of Koto, the senior young man shoving him on the shoulder, "Though… though. We've been sitting here talking for like ten minutes, what the heck is taking Hibiki so long in there?"

"Maybe she started watching whatever movie Chris put in to pass the time." Koto suggested, Ritsudo giving a shrug. "But, still, take that advice alright? You're smart, so I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out along the lines of this kind of thing."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't…" Ritsudo sarcastically said, Koto chuckling as they started heading inside, "But… I do want to figure it out. Besides, I'm pretty selfish as it stands really, but… maybe that's a small tale to be given another time."

"Ohh? Really, because I'd like to here what makes you such a selfish person. You come off as rather selfless to me."

"Ehehehe… then you're better off maybe not knowing how I was before all of this. Wasn't… precisely the happiest kind of person around."

"Well, sometimes all people need is a little change of heart, right?" Koto asked, chuckling as he looked back at Ritsudo, the junior nodding as he tossed the weaved grass over his shoulder.

"Yeah… I guess so."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well, not much happened with this one… but, I feel the character moments for Koto were good. Hehe, well, from here, onto the School Festival! I wanna pack all of that into one go, so let's do it! Onwards!**


	23. G Stanza VII

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza VII: Sé Riflesso**

"Hey, Ritsudo-kun, you can take a break for a while!"

Ritsudo glanced back from his current process of cooking for his classes booth at the festival, blinking as his classes representative tapped him on the back to get his attention.

"You sure class rep? I mean, I can keep going for a while."

"No no no no." The girl waved her hand a bit, Ritsudo tilting his head, "You've made us _plenty_ to last. Trust me, you deserve a break. Besides, your three pals are getting ready for their turn in the competition, so go and watch 'em."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I am, so go!"

Ritsudo didn't even get another word in before he was pushed out of the booth, with head cover and cooking apron swiped off of him, the white haired boy sighing as he undid the short tail he'd pulled his hair back into and rolled his sleeves back down.

"Not much of a way to let me have a choice class rep… but, whatever." Ritsudo shrugged and made his way out into the shifting crowd of other students, their parents, and others who'd come for the festival from all around, and considering the kind of academy Lydian was, music was blaring all around from the PA speakers that had been set up all around the festival areas.

Though meandering around in the crowd wasn't really on Ritsudo's agenda… not that he actually had one really.

And with his mind allowed to wander yet again, he couldn't help but think back to the other day and his talk with Koto, and exactly the level of confusion that had led to for him.

"Of all the things I end up _not_ being able to be straight on… _has_ to be that." Ritsudo gave a heavier sigh as he leaned on the railing of one of the overlooks of the upper level of the outdoors zone, tugging his hair back when the breeze blew it to the side, leaning on his chin as he stared down at the crowd milling about below.

"Ritsudo? Weren't you cooking in your class' stall?"

Ritsudo looked to the side to see Kyomei approaching, the white-haired boy seeming a bit surprised Tsubasa wasn't with him, considering the two were so rarely ever seen apart when at school nowadays.

"Senpai… I uh… I was… but then class rep kicked me out so I'd take a break. Some friends of mine are gonna be performing in the music contest being held but, well, there's time before that so I just… wandered, found myself up here… not like I can camp on the roof anymore anyway." Ritsudo's flat, somewhat bitter tone over having lost his favorite place to nap at school earned a chuckle from Kyomei.

"True, not exactly the kind of place where you can do that, _but,_ least we have these overlooks, right?"

"Still not a good hiding spot. Not that I intend to do something like that again." Ritsudo sighed again as he let his head slip to his hand holding his forehead, Kyomei giving a quizzical hum, seeing that something was definitely bothering his junior, "Senpai, you ever realize something that just kind of makes you start thinking way too hard about it… only to not actually have an answer."

"I'm… not following."

"I… talked with Koto-senpai the other day, and he brought up… uhm… the _situation_ I'm in regarding Chris and Hibiki… ugh… the problem is I _know_ what's going on. I know how Chris feels about me and, well, who the hell _knows_ with Hibiki… but then there's me. I just… don't know." Ritsudo put his other arm on the railing, Kyomei silent for a moment as he looked down at the crowd, "And yet it seems anyone else around me had it easy."

"Eh?"

"You and Tsubasa-senpai are childhood friends, Koto-senpai knew it from the start with that Amou girl you guys knew… and I'm here stuck in the land of who knows what between _possibly_ having feelings for my best friend or my surrogate sister, of a sort… not really sure if it's an apt description really, but it's the best one I've got." Ritsudo stopped for a moment once he caught himself trailing off into a non-sequitur, Kyomei letting out an amused chuckle at the clear sight of Ritsudo realizing it, "I have a bad habit of doing that, don't I?"

"Not really, no. It happens to everyone when their minds are just wandering."

"Not reassuring."

"Hehe… well… on topic. I guess I kinda did have it easy… granted it took nearly eighteen years and a near-death experience for both of us but, hey… it worked out in the end… weirdly enough."

"Only the kind of thing that could happen between two people like yourselves."

"Yeah but… there's a bit more over it than just that." Kyomei added, Ritsudo shifting his head to look over as Kyomei leaned back on his elbows, "If you're confused, then maybe you need to think more on yourself. Decide if you're _really_ ready for that kind of thing before sorting your feelings out. It wouldn't be smart to hurry into a relationship when you still have to work out personal kinks… trust me, helping Tsubasa with that is a task in itself… and where myself is concerned."

"And yet you two seem to be making it work fabulously." Ritsudo said, Kyomei giving a nervous chuckle in reply.

"Well… kind of. Intimacy isn't… _really_ either of our strong suits. Honestly speaking we've only kissed once… any other time we've tried just ends in us getting too embarrassed to do it, even _if_ we're living together now."

"Well let's just hope you two work out the kinks, and fast."

"Hahaha, yeah, I guess we do have some work to do… and, I suppose you do too." Kyomei added, Ritsudo giving a sigh, "Just think about it. I'm sure it'll come to you eventually Ritsudo. Just don't take years to realize it like I did and end up barely able to act like a normal couple."

"I'd just say buck up and take the lead, but the hell do I know. I can barely even figure out how I feel myself." Ritsudo clicked his tongue and kicked the wall lightly, Kyomei's face getting red for a moment.

"Ehehe… well, I wouldn't worry about it."

"No, I would… _annnnd_ I just remembered with class rep kicked me out of the booth." Ritsudo put a hand on his head as he sighed, Kyomei blinking as Ritsudo started moving, stopping and jogging in place when he noted Kyomei's staring, "Some pals of mine are performing in that singing contest being held. I could skimp out but then what kinda friend would I be huh?"

"Hehe, guess you have a point there. I'll join you then!"

The two students both hurried off in the direction of the auditorium from there, though what they didn't notice that, behind them, and horribly disguised at that, were two others… Skalla and Suiv, the two moving out to follow after the Symphogear users.

* * *

"I feel like we missed something."

Ritsudo put a hand behind his head as he and Kyomei entered the auditorium to be met by a weirdly… _comedic_ air with the crowd in the middle of laughing, Kyomei just shrugging as he started looking around for seats.

"HEYYY! Ritsudo! Over here!"

Ritsudo however, looked off to the other side, seeing all three of his friends around one of the corners, all three waving at him to head over, and after a quick look, he did so, only to be nabbed by all three and pulled to the backstage area before he even knew what was going on.

"Whoa whoa! What the heck guys?!" Ritsudo stumbled to get his footing as he was finally released, Kiragi looking around before nearly slamming the door shut.

"Sorry to say bro, but we lied about performing on stage today!" Kiragi said, Ritsudo blinking as his headband wearing comrade snickered.

"See, it was never _really_ the plan." Tohma added, Ichiro nodding and then bowing his head.

"I'm uh… sorry we lied about it. But, well, Kiragi-kun figured this would be the only way to get you to do it."

"Do what?"

"Sing up on stage of course!" Kiragi said, Ritsudo taking a moment before he finally seemed to register it.

"EHHH?!" Ritsudo was silenced when Ichiro slapped his hands over his mouth while hushing him.

"Again, we're sorry! But please don't make so much noise, the next performance is gonna start soon."

"I wonder who's next? But man, you totally missed the previous one! It was three first year cuties singing the opening from _Electro Inspector Ban!"_ Kiragi chuckled, Ritsudo pausing for a moment.

" _Doesn't Hibiki have an otaku friend who's into that show?"_

"They didn't even finish the song before time was up to boot. Or did they just cut it short because everyone was laughing too hard?" Tohma have a hum to it, Ritsudo giving a "huh."

"So _that_ explains that odd air that was around when I showed up."

* * *

"Wow, Japanese food is so good! Ahahaha, I could eat this stuff forever!"

Skalla let out a laugh as he stuck a full dango stick into his mouth, Suiv sighing as he adjusted his shaded glasses, scanning around the grounds.

"Skalla, you _do_ remember why we're here, right?"

"Hmm, yeah, course I do."

"So why the hell did we stop following those two Tuners and start getting food!? We already got separated from Shirabe and Kirika when she ran off on her own!"

"They just went to the other side of the grounds to look for the Harmonics. Besides, those two Tuners went to the auditorium, but for all we know, the third one might be here… so…"

"Don't say it…"

"We need to check every stall until we find him!"

 _SMACK!_

Skalla was rendered silent when the back of his head was slammed by a comically oversized paper fan, Suiv giving him a small glare, Skalla rubbing the back of his head with a hand as he let out a small whine.

"You already know the third Tuner isn't here. The scouting report didn't show any evidence he attends this school." Suiv curtly said, "Now come on, we're finding Kirika and Shirabe. My guess is Shirabe has had enough as well." And as if on cue, Suiv's phone went off, "Speak of the devil, she just told me where to find them."

"Ugh, fiiiine. Though shouldn't we just go to the auditorium and follow those Tuners?"

Suiv stopped in his tracks when Skalla brought up that line of logic, the dark haired boy clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses.

"I was going to do that once we met up with them."

"Riiight."

"Shut up!"

* * *

"Kiri-chan, Skal-kun, our mission isn't "to totally enjoy the hell out of this school fair." And yet, this happened."

Kirika and Skalla were stuck under the flat, scolding gazes of Shirabe and Suiv as the four of them had gathered in one of the off-side clearings, Skalla finding the tree behind him and Kirika very tempting to try and hide behind at the moment.

"I know!" Kirika said, Skalla nodding and clearing his throat. "This is just another part of our investigation!"

"Skalla already gave me the excuse of looking for that third Tuner." Suiv curtly bit, Kirika flinching, "We saw two of the Tuners heading off to the auditorium. Rather than running around all over the grounds, it's possible all of them will end up there."

"Eh? Why would they do that?" Skalla tilted his head in confusion, "People are more attracted to good food, so yes, we should follow the Tuners, but we also need to find the others first!"

"Exactly! If we work our way through this Gourmet Tour map of the campus, it'll clearly be the best way to find an appropriate target!" Kirika pulled out said map, Skalla nodding in agreement, Suiv sighing.

"You two are unbelievable. Then again you _are_ Synchronization partners, so _of course_ you're on the same wavelength." Suiv pinched the bridge of his nose while Shirabe gave the other two a look, the lighter haired pair both looking to the side.

"You don't need to worry about me and Skalla, you two." Kirika said, Skalla nodding.

"Yeah, we didn't forget why we're here… besides, it was kinda my idea in the first place…" Skalla murmured, "We wouldn't forget the duties we're entrusted with."

"Yeah, not even for a second!"

* * *

 _ **Before, FIS VTOL Base**_

"Our base was taken over, and with it we lost the food necessary for the development of the Nephilim." Ver read over the situation, and the FIS Tuner Trio were all giving him a look that said "Who's fault do you think that is?", not that the doctor seemed to mind nor care, "The Relic Fragments that would have served as its sustenance have fallen into the hands of the Second Division. However, we only had the few remaining fragments we recovered from our facility."

"You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place." Oratorio's voice was rather accusatory, and clearly at the end of his patience with Ver from expression alone, "You better have a plan, or else I'm throwing you off this thing."

"No need to be so hostile, of course I have a plan for keeping the Nephilim sated." Ver said, Oratorio raising a brow, "We would have had to refill our stock of Fragments along the way even before we lost the base."

"So, what _is_ this plan of yours?" Maria wasn't even facing Ver as she spoke, the doctor giving a chuckle before answering.

"Simple. See, I've never really thought of it as a problem. We have Relic Fragments all over the place these days." Ver's gaze happened to look across the pendants of the younger Gear users, Shirabe's eyes widening as she caught the look.

"You don't mean to feed it _our_ pendants do you?" Shirabe asked, Suiv shaking his head.

"I don't trust him, but he'd have to be even more insane to actually cripple us to feed that stupid pet of his." Suiv's statement got a nod from Ver, though a bit to the teens annoyance.

"Precisely. Your Gears are to essential a part of our forces to just give them up like that."

"Then I'll go and take their Symphoge-"

"I'll do it instead, Maria." Oratorio cut in, Maria turning to him, "I don't need LiNKER to use Claimoh Solais, so if a fight happens it would be safer for me to go, since I don't have a time limit."

"I won't let you!" The two young adults looked to the kids in surprise when Kirika spoke up, all four younger Gear users giving serious looks to the two.

"Not a chance." Shirabe added.

"Oratorio, Maria, it's risky for you two to keep using your Gears." Suiv pointed out, Skalla nodding.

"Yeah because… the more you two keep using your powers, the more of your souls get overwritten by Finé and Scortura as they grow stronger. We won't let that happen!" Skalla said, shooting to his feet.

"All of you…" Oratorio let out a long breath, but, he couldn't say no when the four of them looked so set in their decision.

"Then what do we do?" Ver asked.

"We'll do it! All four of us will go and take the relics from the 2nd Division users." Skalla said, Kirika, Shirabe, and Suiv all standing now.

"Protecting Maria and Oratorio is the reason we fight." Kirika added, the other three kids nodding.

* * *

"Or so I said, but, what do we do now?" Kirika murmured.

"Well, again, Suiv and I did see two of the Tuners head off to the auditorium. We should start there then." Skalla stated, Suiv nodding, then noticing Shirabe looking off somewhere, following her line of sight, making a "hm" sound when he saw Tsubasa walking by.

"Well, talk about timing." Suiv hummed, then putting an arm in front of the other three, "Hold on, she's the one who can fight against Maria evenly, and we don't want to cause a scene… they know what we look like to boot."

"So then how're we gonna get the Relic from her?" Skalla whispered, Suiv pushing his glasses back up when his three colleagues all stared at him, "Suiv?"

"Don't look at me like I have all the answers dammit!" Suiv's voice began rising in volume, Shirabe slapping her hands over his mouth as Kirika and Skalla pulled him behind the bushes, the four staing dead quiet and unmoving as Tsubasa turned around and looked, looking warier than before as she then picked up her pace a bit, "Gef your han's off mah mouf."

Shirabe did as requested when Suiv muttered, the four peering over the bush, four groans coming when Tsubasa was long gone, Suiv hanging his head as he sighed.

"Let's just go to the auditorium."

* * *

"Do I even need to know how you guys are gonna try to embarrass me?"

"It was all Kiragi-kun's idea I swear!"

"Stop panicking Ichiro…"

Ritsudo sighed as he leaned back on the wall of the backstage area, him and his friends waiting for his turn, though Ritsudo was keeping a wary look on, pulling out his phone and starting to scroll through it, Kiragi folding his arms.

"Hey, I'm not trying to embarrass you here bro. Come on, lighten up and have some fun with it. Singing in front of a crowd can't be that bad can't it?" Kiragi threw an arm across Ritsudo's shoulders, the white haired boy giving a sigh as he looked over.

"Well… I've never had to before so… it's a bit embarrassing to think about." Ristsudo replied, _"That and other things bothing me at the current moment in time and all."_

"Ah don't worry, it'll be fine!"

" _And now, it's time for the next challenger to make her appearance!"_

"Oh, the next girl is up, let's see who it is!"

Kiragi almost yanked Ritsudo down to the floor as he shot off, the remaining three of the four all sighing and following, peering their heads out from the edge of the curtain as the stage lit up again, Ritsudo's eyes widening when he saw it was _Chris_ coming onto the stage.

"Hey, it's the transfer girl." Ichiro noted, Kiragi showing a somewhat bitter look.

"Yeah and Ritsudo's roommate. Lucky SOB."

"Kiragi, don't start." Ritsudo warned, "Still… I wonder how they managed to convince Chris to get out here… huh, wonder if Tsubasa-senpai had a hand in it."

 **(Start song** _ **"Monochrome"**_ **from the Symphogear OST, sung by Chris of course!)**

It was a quiet start as the song began without any singing to it, Chris stock still and silent, Ritsudo sighing a bit, and flinching just a smidge when she looked around, the short girl looking surprised to see Ritsudo there, and after looks from his friends, Ritsudo hung his head and then moved straight, giving Chris a nod and small, reassuring smile to go with it.

" _You've got this."_ He mouthed, Chris sucking in a breath and bringing the microphone to her mouth, and once she did start singing, nervousness began giving way as a smile broke out across Chris' face, Ritsudo leaning back against the wall and showing a smile of his own as he watched Chris enjoy herself on the stage, her expression brightening into full out joy.

"She's having fun. About time she get it through her head." Ritsudo mused, Kiragi letting out a breath.

"Dude you're so frickin' lucky a girl that cute lives with you."

"Yes, yes I am." Ritsudo chuckled, then a look of realization came over him, and he quickly started going through his phone, "Uhm… guys, I actually had an idea for the song I wanna sing up there."

"Huh?"

Ritsudo nodded as he showed what he pulled up on his phone to his friends, the three looking at him and then back at the phone.

"Y'sure bro?" Kiragi asked, Ritsudo nodding.

"Yeah… something is just… saying I should right now." Ritsudo said, looking back to Chris as she continued, _"Believe in the song in your heart, right, Ryouko? If I want to figure things out for myself… I need to_ start _with myself… and this is how I'll do it."_

 _ **(End song)**_

Once the performance ended, Chris took a bow in front of the now cheering crowd, looking back to both sides of the stage, and when her eyes trailed to where Ritsudo was, he gave a thumbs up to her, getting a nod in return from the girl, followed by the student announcer rushing back out.

"A new Queen of the Stage has been crowned! But, before more challengers arrive, we have another performer from the boys to decide who the king will be!" The announcer girl declared, Ritsudo letting out a breath, nearly getting pushed out onto the stage by Kiragi, Chris looking surprised that Ritsudo stepped out before she was nearly pulled backstage herself.

"Talk about being in a hurry, geez." Ritsudo sighed as he grabbed the microphone he was handed, scanning the crowd and eventually finding where Kyomei was seated, right by Tsubasa, Hibiki, and Miku, and Ritsudo gulped as he spun the mic on his palm, "Alright… let's go."

 _ **(Start song "Sea of Oxygen" (Amatsuki cover version), sung by, Ritsudo)**_

 _ **Since I don't look very cool,  
since I'm not that smart,  
since I don't have any courage.  
That was how I blamed myself.**_

As he started singing, Ritsudo stayed relatively still in place, scanning the crowd occasionally with his eyes, but, the feeling he _had to_ stayed put within him, and he put both hands on the mic stand, almost like he was trying to steady himself.

 _ **Just like this, all alone,  
without being noticed by anybody,  
I'd rather drown in a sea of oxygen.**_

 _ **Left on top of the desk,  
was a yellow flower,  
that I thought was pretty.**_

 _ **I crouched in a place  
all by myself and waited  
for the next chime to ring.**_

And it was an image that began forming in his mind, replacing the crowd with a space of white. Back to the days just after he was left alone, no parents, a family that didn't want to care for him… Ritsudo could swear he could see that sad child he used to be right in front of him now as those painful memories returned, but, his voice carried up either way when it seemed about to falter.

 _ **The only thing that I'd broken  
was the thing that was dear to me.  
But even before it'd been destroyed,  
I'd already lost it!**_

 _ **Words, smiles, lies,  
and believing in someone,  
The wingless me could only look up at the sky.**_

And along with the image of the child in front of him, pieces of red were falling along with it. Ritsudo knew well this was just in his head, he could still see the crowd in front of him, but, his focus began shifting, finding his friends and staying there, looking to the sides where his classmates and Chris were, taking in an almost shuddering breath before continuing onwards, no buzzer or anything sounding to stop him now.

 _ **Because of my tired hear,  
I was always afraid,  
and so I lied about  
liking to be alone.**_

 _ **Truthfully, I knew  
that staying this way is more painful.  
Just like that, every day I spent was empty.**_

 _ **I kept making excuses,  
to the point that the me I'd known  
became distant somehow.**_

 _ **I want to find him,  
to talk to him and see if we're similar,  
before I become an adult.**_

And even if the image _was_ in his head, he reached out either way, to the self he'd left behind as he had changed over the years. A reminder of a painful past that even with the growth of the present, still had yet to be overcome. But this time, there was something different to it as the pieces of red gathered at his hand.

 _ **I tried to gather the pieces  
of the precious things  
that I'd broken  
one more time!**_

 _ **Even if they can't be  
entirely fixed, it's fine  
since the fact that they're mine won't change.**_

 _ **I've had enough  
of these painful feelings.  
"I won't let them hurt anyone anymore!"  
That was what I vowed to myself!**_

Ritsudo could feel the tears on the edges of his eyes as he started catching his breath. It was like he was staring at an incomplete heart, pieces still missing and yet to be found, and in front of him, still faced with the huddled up, crying child he himself had forgotten. He wanted to talk a step forward, to say something, but, he stopped as he did, unsure of if he really should.

But, the step was taken for him when he was given a shove, and looking back, it was the faces of his friends that greeted him as he turned around, goading him on without prompt, more pieces of the heart coming back together as he turned, looking down at the huddled child in front of him. And in reality, he was gripping the microphone even tighter than before, looking down so the crowd could hardly see his face, drops falling to the stage below him.

 _ **I tried to gather the pieces  
of the precious things  
that I'd broken  
one more time!**_

 _ **Even if they can't be  
entirely fixed, it's fine.  
I want to try believing in my current self!**_

And his voice rose out as he looked up, despite the tears, despite the pained light in his eyes, he was smiling brightly, and still in the image in his head, he took another step forward, leaning down in front of the child burying his face in his arms, a soft smile on Ritsudo's face as he reached an arm out, gently placing his hand on the boy's head, and he knew what had to be said, both to this crowd he was singing to, and the inner self he had to recognize.

 _ **You aren't weak at all;  
you're a very strong person.  
Up till now, haven't you lived  
all by yourself?**_

 _ **With every tear you shed,  
you become gentler, don't you?  
You aren't alone anymore,  
since I'm singing for you.**_

The image was clear as he took the full heart in his hand and showed it to his younger self, now looking at him in shock with tears in his eyes, a smile on Ritsudo's own face backed by those of his friends behind him, and even when the kid tried to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop, Ritsudo pat him on the head again, taking his hand and pulling the boy up… enough to make the image fade in his mind as he looked around to his friends again, raising his arm up as his voice rose brightly for the final measure of the song.

 _ **(end song)**_

Once he was finished, Ritsudo was left panting as he lowered his arm, using a sleeve to wipe his eyes off, and when he looked at the crowd, a sudden wave of embarrassment hit, but that was followed by shock as he saw the varied expressions… many, many looks of having been moved, some people on the verge of tears of their own, Ritsudo putting a hand behind his head and giving a nervous chuckle, but, deep down, something in him felt reassured, better even, at doing what he just had.

" _I'd forgotten what those days felt like… how much it hurt, being alone, forcing myself to push people away while I tried doing_ anything _to make myself feel better… but, now that's changed,_ I've _changed… I just need to work a bit harder to get to the point where I can really say I've become the me I'm hoping to be."_ Ritsudo nodded as he lowered his arm holding the microphone, wiping his eyes with his sleeve again, the light in the silver orbs brighter, happier even, _"But… I don't have to do it alone either, and that's perfectly fine. Having friends is awesome!"_

"What a moving show, we have a new king!" The announce girl was barely holding it together herself, Ritsudo showing a bit of a concerned look as she kept an arm over her eyes even _while_ speaking into the microphone.

"Are you alright?"

"Now, who'll be our next challengers!"

"Okay never mind."

"Fell free to jump from the audience as well!"

"We'll do it!"

The spotlight clicked on to show who'd spoken from the crowd, Ritsudo and Chris' eyes widened when Kirika and Shirabe stood up from their seats, and one could see that Skalla and Suiv were nearby, the light blue haired boy chuckling to himself as he stood too.

"And me and my glasses wearing pal here'll go next too!" Skall yanked the clearly unwilling Suiv up, another light shining on the two, leaving the four FIS Gear Users looking down at Ritsudo and Chris on the stage, while above, the other three 2nd Division users looked as shocked, Kyomei already whipping out his phone.

"This is not gonna end well…" Ritsudo muttered, clicking his tongue as the four younger teens' eyes met his, _"But… maybe… maybe I can figure out what the hell they're fighting for."_

 _ **To be continued**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ahhhhh! Hell yesss! Good frickin' lord… I had a… moment once I found** _ **"Sea of Oxygen"**_ **during my various song browsing… I included the lyrics as I felt it would help make the point. I feel it did. Sadly, Ritsudo ain't making a choice YET. Well, now we're here! Onwards to the next chapter!**


	24. G Stanza VIII

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza VIII: Cuori che Piangono**

The air was tense for the Gear users as their eyes were stuck on the four FIS Gears, only that lot being aware.

"Tsubasa-san, Kyomei-san, it's those same kids from before!" Hibiki said, Tsubasa and Kyomei nodding.

"Yeah, but what could they be planning?" Tsubasa said, Kyomei putting a hand on his chin. "Kyomei?"

"I don't know… but… there's a chance it has to do with that… _thing_ they had with them." Kyomei said, eyes back onto the spot lit quadra.

"Hibiki, do you know them?" Miku asked, Hibiki nodding

"Yeah. Well, um, Miku…" Hibiki stopped when she heard shuffling behind her, Tsubasa on her feet.

"They are the Symphogear users who declared war on the world. Our enemy." Tsubasa stated, Miku's eyes going a bit wider.

"Then, they're allies of Maria and that masked person? The ones who were controlling the Noise at the concert arena?" Miku said, Kyomei nodding, a hand tensing.

"Yeah. We fought them a few days ago. But…" Kyomei murmured, his hands tensing tighter, _"If only we knew more about what was going on."_

* * *

Elsewhere, hidden within the docks of the city, the FIS air transport was sitting silently within one of the many warehouses, all silent within it except for a dull hum from active electronics, Oratorio leaned against a wall with his eyes shut and headphones up, Maria silent in her seat while Natassja watched the monitors in the room.

"Are you two having regrets?" Natassja spoke up, the two elder Symphogear wielders looking to her, Maria shaking her head.

"I'm not, mom. I'll accomplish the mission that has been given to me." Maria said, Oratorio, however, keeping silent as Natassja looked towards him, the silence breaking further once the alarm blared, Natassja sliding up a panel, each feed on it, cameras set up around the warehouse, showing masked soldiers set up around the area.

"Looks like our countrymen have caught up with us." Natassja said, Oratorio pulling his headphones down, the chain of his sword pendant jingling in his hand as he pulled it out.

"They already found us?!" Maria gasped.

"We may be using heretical technology, in the end, we're still just amateurs. It's be overly optimistic to think we could ever go toe-to-toe with trained professionals." Natassja stated, turning as the door slid open, "Oratorio, what are you doing?"

"I won't kill any of them. I'll knock them unconscious and fry their helmet systems so they can't relay anything back to their home base." Oratorio said, holding up his pendant, "One Symphogear is enough to take on that many men and win easily. You're not going to stop me, are you?"

"No. You're not wrong… but, I prefer if you eliminate them outright."

"What?!" Oratorio gasped.

"Eliminate? They're just normal humans? Can't we just do what Oratorio said and stop them from relaying information?" Maria said, "They wouldn't survive one hit from either Gungnir of Claimoh Solais!"

"Either way, that is what must be done." Natassja coldly said, Oratorio clicking his tongue, "You both were like this at the concert event too. Are you so afraid to stain your hands with blood?"

"Mom… I…" Maria murmured, Oratorio shoving his hands into his jacket, looking to the side, Natassja's gaze on both of them.

* * *

The air was still tense in feeling for the 2nd Division Gears as the FIS quadra made their way to the stage, stopping just at the stairs up its side, Kirika pulling an eye lid and sticking her tongue out, Skalla snickering with a smirk on, Chris about to leap at them, stopping when Ritsudo put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't let them tick you off." Ritsudo said, Chris letting out a sigh.

"Kiri-chan, Skal-kun, what is our objective?" Shirabe said, Kirika and Skalla glancing at each other.

"You didn't forget, did you?" Suiv said.

"Course we didn't!" Skalla said, folding his arms, Kirika nodding and doing the same.

"To steal the pendants made from Relic fragments-desu!" Kirika said, Shirabe sighing a bit.

"So we don't have to do it like this." Shirabe added.

"I heard that whoever's standing on that stage at the end gets one wish granted." Kirika said, Skalla pointing a finger forward.

"So how could we miss this chance?"

"You're both nuts." Suiv sighed, Skalla only snickering, earning another sigh from his glasses donning friend.

"Real cute!" Chris snapped, "If you want to pick a fight with us, we're ready for you!"

"Chris, I said not to let them rile you up. We can deal with this later… _not_ when there's this many people around." Ritsudo said, Chris clicking her tongue.

"I'll go along with you two this once." Shirabe said, Kirka and Skall snickering, "But don't forget that this is-"

"I know. This time we're gonna succeed for sure." Kirika said.

"Watch as we blow these suckers outta the water!" Skall cackled, Suiv again just sighing and stepping forward.

"Let's just get this over with." Was the deadpan remark, Skalla clicking his tongue.

"It is time for you to decide, Maria, Oratorio."

Natassja had her eyes on both the Tuner and Harmonic, both holding their pendants.

"Do you want to complete this mission, or continue to hold back for those ideals?"

"Then let's hear out challengers sing!" The MC girl shouted, slowing a bit at realizing she had no clue who the FIS quadra was, all four holding microphones, "Uhm…"

"Tsukuyomi Shirabe and…"

"Akatsuki Kirika!"

"Along with Skalla Havet and…"

"Suiv Varjo."

"Dude, show some enthusiasm." Skalla's stride came to a grating halt as Suiv deadpanned even more than Shirabe, Skalla flipping the microphone in his hand into a reverse hold.

"Okay! They'll be performing Orbital Beat! The Zwei Wing song, of course!" The MC girl declared, Kyomei and Tsubasa looking at each other with surprised expressions at the declaration of the song.

 _ **(Begin "Orbital Beat ver. ZABABA")**_

"This song…" Hibiki gasped.

"Isn't this Tsubasa-san and Kanade-san's?" Miku asked.

"What are they trying to do? Provoke us?" Tsubasa grumbled, Kyomei showing a narrowed look on, where in the shadow of the backstage, Ritsudo and Chris were watching as the four voices of the FIS kids rang out in the first words of the song.

* * *

Explosions rocked the building, the camera feed on the panel showing the walls of the warehouse had been blown in, Natassja turning to Oratorio and Maria.

"It's begun. Now, Maria, Oratorio!"

"I'm going out, but I'm not killing them!" Oratorio snapped, rushing out, Maria stopping herself from following after, a tense look on her face.

The performance of the FIS quadra was aggressive in a way, like a call out to the 2nd Division crew, and yet, Ritsudo could see it in the way the younger ones moved and put their all into it despite their attitudes from their earlier confrontations, from Skalla and Kirika's open, energetic moves, Suiv's more reserved but stronger voice and Shirabe's echoing trill adding into the sound of their four voices in unison.

" _They're having fun… aren't they?"_ Ritsudo thought, folding his arms.

* * *

The flames roared around the VTOL as the soldiers began moving in amid the inferno, the nearest one to the aerial vehicle not getting even a moment to think before a black shaped rush out from the flames and slammed him to the ground, an armored hand grasping the helmet camera and crushing it to pieces, the armored Oratorio standing up as the soldiers aimed their weapons, his mark gleaming with blue light before he rushed forward, the gunfire merely bouncing off of his armor as he slammed the next soldier with a solid kick, jumping over to the next one and slamming him into the ground hard enough to leave a crater, pulling his cape up to act as a shield when more gunfire rained down on him.

"Tch, idiots." Oratorio scoffed, and his eyes widened behind the mask when he saw one of the soldiers turn to ash, Noise beginning to shoot out from the flames and dive at the soldiers, their screams sounding as they were progressively turned to dust, Oratorio growling as Ver's figure appeared among the flames, holding the Staff of Solomon out towards the soldiers.

"Ver?!" Oratorio snapped, the doctor looking towards the Tuner.

"If I'm stepping on your toes than I apologize, but I think it'd be a waste to use Claimoh Solais and the newly awakened Scortura, or the Gungnir and Finé, against weaklings like these." Ver said, Oratorio snarling behind his mask, "Let me take care of this."

"I have this handled Ver, you can stay out of it!" Oratorio snapped, Ver chuckling as the Noise he sent out formed a barrier against the gunfire, the man sending out more and more waves to eradicate the soldiers who remained, "VER!"

"Relax, it'll be over quickly, and you and Maria won't have to waste your time." Ver said, Oratorio snarling at the apparent glee the man had showing on his face as the horrified screams of the dying men rang through the air like a chorus from hell itself.

* * *

The song came to a close, the four FIS kids taking a four way pose, smiles of varying degress on their faces as the crowd began clapping and cheering for them, Kyomei looking to Tsubasa as Skalla and Kirika waved to the crowd.

"Tsubasa?" Kyomei's concern was apparent as Tsubasa had a hand near her chest, a glum look on her face.

"Why must we, the singers of songs, fight each other?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei looking back to the four on stage, who in all regard were their enemies.

"The world isn't as idealistic as we all wish it could be." Kyomei replied, Tsubasa and Hibiki looking at him, "The real world isn't as kind as the one in songs."

* * *

The flames had begun to die down around the warehouse, the sounds of gunfire and fighting fading, and from the corner, three kids on bikes came onto the scene, likely having heard the explosion.

"The huge explosion we heard came from here right?"

"Maybe they're doing some kind of construction work."

"If we don't get to practice soon, coach is gonna give us an earful."

The three boys were soon met with the sound of horrified screaming, a soldier running out from the ajar door of the warehouse, a Noise soon following him and turning the man to ash, the children's faces horrified at the sudden sight.

"Well, well." Ver stepped out from the shadows, a deranged expression on his face as he turned to the kids.

" _Stop, Ver!"_ Maria shouted over the intercom, Oratorio rushing out into the open, _"Those kids have nothing to do with this! Oratorio, please stop him!"_

Ver lifted the Staff at the kids, Oratorio's sword blazing to life in his hand as Ver pulled the trigger, and as soon as the Noise formed, they were cut down by white flames, Oratorio landing between Ver and the kids, Ver looking annoyed at Oratorio's interference as he leveled his blade at the man.

"Leave them be! They're innocents who have no part in this!" Oratorio snapped, then glancing at the kids, the three seeming shocked at his presence, "Go, now! If you leave now and forget this happened, you won't be hurt!"

"O-Okay!" The three kids let their panic through as they shouted in fear, turning their bikes around and quickly leaving, Oratorio turning back to Ver as the man let out a growl.

"What are you doing?! They saw what happened, you're just going to let witnesses run off?!" Ver snapped, sending out more Noise to attack, Oratorio swiftly cutting them down with one move, dashing forward and slamming Ver into the wall, the man letting out a panicked shriek as Oratorio placed his blade _just_ close to his neck, enough to where Ver could feel the searing heat of the plasma-forged sword begin to burn his skin.

"Innocents are to be left uninvolved with our affairs!" Oratorio's mask retracted back into his headset, revealing the murderous glare on his face as he stared Ver down the length of his blade, "From here on, you're not using that Staff… we can't trust you with it anymore."

Oratorio made extra sure to slam Ver in the gut with a solid fist, the man crumpling over in pain and spewing curses, Oratorio dismissing his sword and picking the Staff up, the item retracting to it's closed form in his hand, Oratorio's expression pure disdain as he looked down on Ver, even as the man looked up at him with resentment of his own showing.

* * *

"With those amazing voices, even the champions have to sit up and take notice!" The MC girl declared, Chris and Ritsudo out on the stage, the FIS quadra having their eyes on the pair, "I can't wait to see how they scored!"

"How dare you guys gang up on us!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo again putting a hand on her shoulder, "But, Ritsu-"

"It's not worth it Chris." Ritsudo said, Chris letting out a grumble, though the four FIS kids looked surprised when they heard a buzz, putting their hands to where their hidden communicators were.

" _Our hideout has been discovered."_ Natassja's voice came on over the line, _"We were able to fend off the intruders, but since they've identified our location, we can't stay here any longer. We will be regrouping shortly at the designated location."_

"Hold on mom, we're so close though!" Skalla said.

"We almost have our hands on those pendants!" Kirika added.

" _This is an emergency."_ Natassja said, _"Regroup. That's an order."_

"Come on… we can't stick around." Suiv sighed as the line cut, the other three nodding.

"All right, it looks like the results are in! Oh?" The MC girl and the crowd looked wholly confused as the FIS quadra rushed off the stage.

"Hey! Are you running away!?" Chris shouted, Kirka and Skalla looking at Suiv and Shirabe as they pulled them along.

"Shirabe, Suiv?!" Kirika shouted, Shirabe keeping her expression ahead.

"I'm sure they'll be fine with Maria and Oratorio there. Sui-kun is right, we have to go." Shirabe said, "But, even then… I'm worried about them."

Tsubasa stood as the four FIS kids fled, Kyomei following suit, "Let's follow them, Tachibana, Kyomei."

Kyomei nodded and set off first, Tsubasa following after, Hibiki glancing back at Miku as she stood up herself.

"Miku, you should stay here." Hibiki's expression was sad, telling what she was feeling, "We may have to fight them."

"O-Okay…" Miku nodded, then putting her hands together, "Hibiki… I don't think this is…"

* * *

Outside the hall, the four FIS Symphogears were weaving their way through the crowd, though a procession of items for the festival stopped them, Kirika taking the moment to let out a frustrated growl.

"Dammit, what should we do now?!" Kirika growled, Skalla putting a hand on his head.

"We can't start a fight in this crowd… there's too many innocent people around." Skalla said, Suiv nodding as he looked.

"Let's lose those 2nd Division guys first… we should be clear once we're off the school grounds." Suiv said, adjusting his glasses, "Let's just hope things didn't go south… and by that, I mean let's hope Ver didn't screw things up again."

Once it looked clear to go, the four stared to move, but stopped cold when Kyomei and Tsubasa stepped out in front of them, and when the four turned, they were then met by Ritsudo, Chris, and Hibiki blocking the path back where they'd come from.

"Kirika-chan, Shirabe-chan, Skalla-kun, and Suiv-kun, right?" Hibiki asked, Shirabe looking at the numbers.

"Four on five… You have the advantage in numbers." Shirabe murmured, Suiv looking around with an analytical eye to find some kind of escape route. "But think about what you stand to lose by fighting here."

"How can you even suggest that kind of thing?" Chris snapped, Ritsudo putting an arm out in front of her. "Ritsu?"

"We're _not_ going to fight here." Ritsudo stepped forward, the four younger ones looking at him, "We're not going to fight because we don't have to. The four of you… you were having fun not that long ago when you were singing… we don't _have_ to resort to fighting off of the bat."

"I know! A duel!" Kirika shouted, pointing a finger at Chris, "I will challenge you to a fair duel-desu!"

"Kiri, that may not be the best plan…" Skalla muttered, "But we may not have another choice."

"Why?" Hibiki shouted, moving between the others, "It's not like we have to fight every time we meet, right?"

"What else do _you_ want?!" Chris and Kirika said it at the same time, both looking at each other then scoffing, Skalla looking to the side while Ritsudo's hand clenched into a fist.

"We will notify you of when the duel is to take place. Goodbye." Shirabe said, Suiv sighing.

"Guess we're going with this then." Suiv muttered, and as he and Shirabe grabbed Skalla and Kirika to leave, they were stopped by Ritsudo stepping in front of them, "What?"

"I want to know what you four are fighting for." Ritsudo said, a firm tone to his voice, his expression calm, "What's so important to you all that you'd willingly become the enemy of the world?"

"A person like you wouldn't understand." Suiv growled, Ritsudo shaking his head.

"I think I would. Someone like me, abandoned by the world… left behind by his own family and turned into a scapegoat by society itself for merely _surviving_ in place of another. You're all being idiots if you think we don't understand what it's like to be hurt, to have the world throw pain onto your shoulders." Ritsudo said, the four FIS kids becoming tense. "I fight with his blade because I want to protect this world." He held out his pendant, the chain waving through the air for a moment, "It's foolish, and I know I can't possibly save everyone, but I sure as hell plan to try! So I want to know… what are you four, what is FIS, fighting for?"

"That's none of your business. When I said you wouldn't understand, I said it because you have no idea what's really going on." Suiv said, adjusting his glasses, he and Shirabe pulling their friends past Ritsudo, "When you _do…_ then we can discuss ideals. Until then, don't bother."

Ritsudo kept silent as the let the four go, lowering his arm and letting out a heavy sigh, pulling out his communicator when it buzzed, the 2nd Division group all answering theirs at the same time.

" _Are the five of you all there?"_ Genjuuro asked, getting affirmatives, _"We've detected a Noise pattern. They seem to have disappeared since then, and Koto is already investigating, but please check the general vicinity, just in case."_

"Roger." Came the quick affirmitives of Chris, Tsubasa, and Kyomei, Ritsudo keeping silent.

"…Roger." Hibiki muttered, looking sad at the mere idea of having to fight those others, Ritsudo looking back to the leaving FIS kids, his hand tightening.

"Guess I need to learn what's happening then." He said, Kusanagi's pendant shifting as his hand tightened further.

* * *

It was silent in the 2nd Division base, all except for the beeping sounds from the consoles as Aoi and Sakuya worked, the images on the main screen being ones taken from the docks, the scorched out warehouse and piles of ash, but the feeling about it was different… it seemed _too_ deliberate of a thing to be comfortable, if what Koto's report on his investigation of that zone said, the Symphogears quietly milling about in the background of things, Koto against a wall and looking through a tablet displaying various files.

" _What happened down there? Was it FIS? If so… but then, who attacked them?"_ Koto put a hand on his chin, then letting out a grumble as he lowered the tablet, "This is so troublesome."

"Commander!" Sakuya shouted, attention turning to the young man, "The government's data processing center just finished the analysis. Displaying on main monitor!"

The image then changed to waveform patterns, that of Hibiki's Gungnir, and Maria's.

"Comparing Aufwachen waveforms…" Aoi spoke up, the two images overlapping perfectly, "Scanning for differences… none found, even at one-trillionth precision!"

The air suddenly became heavier, the Gear users looking at Koto, seeing that his expression was by far the most shocked, his eyes nearly beads as the hand holding the tablet began shaking as the grip tightened, Genjuuro leaning back heavily in his chair.

"That means the black Gungnir used by Maria Cadenzavna Eve… is exactly the same as Hibiki-kun's." Genjuuro said, eyes now on Hibiki as she moved a hand to her chest.

"The same as mine…" Hibiki murmured, and Ritsudo looking back to Koto, seeing the darker look on the young man's face.

"The same as Kanade's…" Koto grumbled, then looking up, a clearly angered expression on his face now, "How?!"

"It's possible that Ryoko-san stole part of the Gungnir and provided it to the American government." Sakuya said, a hand on his chin, "They used that to make their Gungnir."

"Another Gungnir Symphogear, created in accordance with the Sakurai Theory…" Aoi murmured, her fingers flying across her keyboard.

"But that doesn't make sense." Chris said, "The American government was after Finé's research. If they had an institute like the FIS and the ability to manufacture their own Symphogears, why would they need to go after Finé?"

"Considering they decided to renounce their own government's authority and go rouge," Tsubasa said, Chris turning to her, "FIS must have intended to monopolize all technology and information regarding the Relics while establishing their own command authority."

"So as far as they were concerned, Ryoko was a loose end that needed to be tied up." Ritsudo said, flexing a hand. "But that still doesn't explain anything!" and then he balled that hand into a fist, slamming it into the wall.

"Why would FIS go as far as to make enemies of their own home country?" Genjuuro let a heavy sigh escape him, putting a hand on his head as he thought.

"I wish we could figure that out." Ritsudo grumbled.

* * *

The door to one of the VTOL rooms slid open, Oratorio plodding in heavily, his expression exhausted despite showing no physical fatigue at all, the young man flopping down onto the row of chairs with a heavy sigh, looking to the side as he lifted the Staff of Solomon up, the dejected look on his face turning into disgust as he threw it across the room.

"First, we lose our first base, then we get found by the American agents after us… and I bet Mom still wants to use the Nephilim… tch… it's not even half grown, I could rip that things heart right now and end this right here." Oratorio shifted and stared up at the ceiling as he softly spoke to himself, "This isn't what Serena wanted from us… why does she think we need Nephilim to raise Froniter? Why do we have to rely on that damn doctor?!"

 _BAM!_

Oratorio's clenched hand slammed into the wall as he sat up, his memory starting to buzz… but it wasn't clear. All he remembered of a day that brought so much grief was the flames and the pain that came with it, of the day Maria lost her sister, and he lost a friend.

"I wonder… if I was stronger back then… could I have saved Serena by burdening the Swan Song with her?" Oratorio flopped back down as his hand slipped, sighing as he stared back up at the ceiling with a listless gaze, "This isn't what you wanted, isn't it, Serena? You wouldn't have wanted Maria and I to take this path, right?"

The door slid open again, Oratorio sitting up on his shoulders, Maria standing with her hand on the door war, looking to the floor.

"Maria?" Oratorio yelped when Maria stepped forward, flopping down onto him herself, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she buried her face into his shoulder, Oratorio silently returning the embrace, seeming to physically calm down from the contact, "Thanks… I think I was about to snap…"

"Torio… do you think I could protect people with my song?"

"Hm?"

Oratorio looked down as Maria looked at him, a tense look on her face, Oratorio leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling.

"I think so… but… if only we were in a different situation than the one we are now." Oratorio sighed and looked back at Maria, who looked away from him, "But I honestly think your song can save people Maria… we just need to work harder."

"Maybe…" Maria murmured, "Torio… we have time."

"Time for what?"

"To get away from this stress…"

"Wha-mmph!"

Surprise turned to understanding as Maria leaned forward and put her lips to Oratorio's, it only lasting a second more before his hold on Maria tightened, only occasional shifting around for a little while before Maria pulled back, Oratorio letting out a chuckle shortly after.

"You know, you make things sound so dramatic at times?" Oratorio said, "It makes some things you say kinda misleading."

"Mouuu, you could be a bit more serious about this." Maria puffed out a cheek as she let out the whine, Oratorio only laughing in response, and Maria's annoyed look soon turned into a soft, warm smile as Oratorio's own grin widened out, "And you make it hard to be mad at you… not that I ever could be."

"You sure you wanna do this now? I mean… I can understand but… we're not that far from the rendezvous point." Oratorio said, Maria nodding as she sat up, moving to a more straddling position.

"We have enough time… we have to fly slow with the stealth systems on anyway." Maria said, Oratorio giving a hum.

"You do have a point about that." Oratorio noted, and as Maria leaned back down, the PA line buzzed, Oratorio letting out an annoyed sigh, "I forgot this thing had cameras lining it."

" _We'll be arriving at the rendezvous point soon. Okay?"_ Natassja said, both Oratorio and Maria nodding.

"Yes, mom." Both said, Maria effectively flopping down on Oratorio.

"Let's at least stay like this for a while… I don't want to let go." Maria said, Oratorio nodding, putting a hand on the back of Maria's head as her hold on him tightened.

"Alright… I won't be going anywhere… and we'll figure this out… I promise."

* * *

The rendezvous area for FIS was the site of the ruined Kadingir, still almost a wasteland with nothing but the now abandoned equipment built around the tower meant to study it, the air whipping around as the VTOL landed, Skalla, Suiv, Kirika, and Shirabe standing from their hiding spot behind some of the strewn rubble from the battle left from three months ago, approaching the craft as Maria and Oratorio exited to meet them.

"Are you two alright?" Kirika asked, the older pair nodding to the girl.

"Yes." Maria said, relieved smiles appearing on the faces of all but Suiv, who's stoic attitude now felt more like a front to hide similar feelings, Shirabe stepping forward and hugging both Oratorio and Maria.

"Thank goodness. If Finé and Scortura ever awaken inside you, we'll never be able to see you two again." Shirabe said, Oratorio showing a gentle smile as he put a hand on Shirabe's head.

"Don't worry, any of you. Even if that happens, Maria and I will still be ourselves, I promise… and I don't go back on my word." Oratorio said.

"He's right. You don't need to worry." Maria said, Kirika and Skalla joining in on the hug, Suiv hanging back and adjusting his glasses, but it was clear as day he was just as relieved as the other three.

"I'm glad you four are safe." Natassja rolled up to the six with Ver near her, that constantly serious expression on, "Now, let's be off before they catch up to us."

"Please wait, mom!" Kirika said, approaching Natassja, Skalla sticking nearby.

"Yeah, we can't go yet, we weren't able to get any of the relic pendants!" Skalla said, Kirika nodding along with him.

"We can't retreat now!" Kirika added, Shirabe approaching next.

"We promised to duel them, so-" Shirabe was cut off when Natassja's hand shot forward and struck her, the woman following it up to Kirika and Skalla as well as they stepped forward in objection.

"What the hell?!" Skalla snapped, holding his struck cheek.

"That's enough!" Natassja growled, "The six of you need to realize that a battle is not a game!"

"Let's stop there." Ver said, Oratorio and Suiv's cautious glares falling to him. "We can still turn things around at this point. Can't we? Besides, I think it's high time we arranged that duel they promised."

"And how do you plan to do that? I'm not handing the Staff back over to you." Oratorio said, shifting his hand to where he had the Staff kept hooked on his waist

"Oh I have a… particular idea. But, we _will_ need to call up some Noise to get them here." Ver pointed out, "If you'd be so willing Oratorio… would you want to send that signal, now that _you_ hold the Staff of Solomon?"

"We are _not_ using the Nephilim!" Oratorio snapped, "If that thing gets any stronger than it is, we won't be able to-"

"Oratorio!" Natassja snapped, Oratorio looking to her with a shocked look, "We have to do what we must in order to complete our plans. Since you deemed it necessary to take the Staff, then use it for what it can do… do you understand? You put that burden onto yourself. Summon enough Noise to draw the 2nd Division too us… let the Nephilim handle the rest from there."

"But, mom!" Oratrio started, Natassja looking at him with a stern, commanding look, the young man's hands balling into fists, Maria and the others showing concerned looks. "Fine… I'll summon the Noise and bring them here. But, if a duel was promised, then we'll…"

"Sorry, but, we can't have those plans of yours potentially mucking up our goals." Ver said, Suiv stepping forward in front of Oratorio.

"Should I remind you we're only _in_ this situation because _you_ left evidence lying about that led the 2nd Division to us in the first place?" The glasses wearing Tuner tilted his head as a cold glare bore into Ver, the doctor giving a chuckle, "What's got you so giddy?"

"Oh there's nothing to worry about. This will surely go our way." Ver said, but, the untrusting looks on the faces of the FIS Symphogears told another story, Oratorio most of all showing it in merely his eyes, his intentions were far different…

* * *

That familiar alarm for a Noise emergence blared through the 2nd Division HQ, the pulsing signal appearing on the monitor.

"Just like old times." Tsubasa said, "A warning shot to announce their duel."

"Location identified!" Sakuya said, "It can't be?!"

"What's the matter?" Genjuuro asked.

"An unlisted address in Tokyo, Specially Designated Blockade Area!" Sakuya said, the expressions on all the Symphogear user's faces turning to shock at such a location being the source of this signal… the place they were being called out to.

"The former site of Kadingir?!" Genjuuro shot to his feet, Ritsudo gripping his pendant tightly.

"It doesn't matter where it is… let's go!" Ritsudo said, already turning, a grimace on his face, _"Why there? What do you people have planned?"_

* * *

The air was still and silent around the Kadingir ruins are the 2nd Division team approached the site, Koto in the lead, and a wry, unamused smirk on his face.

"It's a bit sick how fitting this place is… to settle the score that is." Koto said, and as the six got closer to the ruins, two figures came into view, one the armored and masked Oratorio, the Staff of Solomon in it's closed state in one hand, and to the armored young man's left stood Ver.

"You bastard!" Chris snapped, Ver looking to Oratorio, a sigh passing through the Tuner's mouth as he then raised the Staff, the item opening up as he aimed it forward.

"Sorry." Oratorio murmured, multiple pulses shooting from the staff and calling the first wave of Noise forth.

"Let's go." Koto raised his hand, his pendant jingling down before bursting into it's staff form, Koto twirling the staff and jabbing it's end into the ground, cracks shooting across the scorched earth from the impact, the rings on it's upper end sending a ring through the air, _"Cantato Ruyi Jingu Bang Zillz!"_

 _ **(Start "Kimi dake no boku de iru kara" by Gackt, sung by Koto!)**_

Koto and Hibiki led the charge through the Noise, Koto's staff cleaving through a line of Noise, extending and wiping away a bigger swathe while Hibiki boosted through a line of the swarm, Tsubasa's swift slashes met by Kyomei's gunfire picking off any Noise coming near her, Chris' guns cutting a swathe through the swarm as winds burst out from Ritsudo's sword slashes, ash flying through the air in the path of the Symphogears.

The air burst outwards as Ritsudo landed and slashed with twin blades, turning to Ver and Oratorio as he slashed through another.

"Where are the others at?! The ones who challenged us!?" Ritsudo snapped, Ver cackling.

"They're currently under detention." Ver said, "That's why we're here to greet you instead. I'd hate to let their youthful naivete get in the way of our plan." Ver only smirked as Oratorio clicked his tongue in obvious annoyance.

"What the heck are you people planning!?" Koto shot up into the air with an extended and sized up staff, the air blowing as he stood atop the tip, Ver chuckling.

"Plotting? That doesn't sound very respectful." Ver said, Koto clicking his tongue, "What we seek is the salvation of humankind!" Ver raised a hand, a finger pointing up towards the moon, "We wish to save the countless lives that will be lost when the Moon falls down to Earth!"

"What?!" Came the six way gasp from the 2nd Division group, Kyomei letting out a growl.

"Research groups have been analyzing the moon for the past three months!" Kyomei said, a rain of arrows flying from his bow to the Noise in front of him, Tsubasa cutting past more.

"Why wouldn't they announce a possible collision?!" Tsubasa said, a growl leaving her throat, Ver letting out a laugh.

"Why _would_ they announce it?" Ver scoffed, "News of a cataclysmic disaster that we are powerless to prevent would only throw the world into disarray! There are many reasons they would decide to conceal such an inconvenient truth."

Chris let out a growl as she blasted away the Noise in her path, her eyes widening as an idea came to her, "Are the ones who know about this thinking of ways to save themselves and nobody else?"

"Could be!" Ritsudo snapped, the area now clear of Noise, Oratorio lowering the Staff.

"Just a little longer…" Oratorio said, Kyomei raising a brow as he caught the words.

"What would you do if that was so?" Ver said, raising a hand, "Our answer to that is this: the Nephilim!"

The air rumbled below the Symphogears, bursting from the ground itself being a larger Nephilim, Chris yelling as she was sent flying by the creature.

"Chris!" Ritsudo shouted, shooting back when the Nephilim lunged at him next, Kyomei and Tsubasa getting to the unconscious Chris.

"She's fine at... AGH COME ON!" Kyomei growled as a Noise shot out a web that snared him, Tsubasa, and Chris, "This kind of Noise?!"

"I'll get you out!" Ritsudo yelled, dodging the Nephilim again as it swiped at him with its clawed hands, sparks flying through the air as he blocked with his blade, "Soon as… I can get away… SOME HELP HERE! HIBIKI, SENPAI!?"

"That is how we will unite the people of the world and form one country and government to…" Ver stopped dead when the Nephilim was suddenly blasted with a gout of white fire, the man shrieking when Oratorio shot forward and slammed his sword onto the reeling Nephilim's face, skidding to a stop on the opposite side of it, "What are you doing?!"

"Don't give me any crap about using _this_ to unite the world!" Oratorio snapped, the 2nd Division looking at him in confusion, "I'm calling a truce with you for now. The Nephilim can't be allowed to stay active. If it goes wild, it could end up destroying the city."

"Well then… how do we kill it?!" Ritsudo deflected another attack from the Nephilim, Hibiki diving in when it went for their restrained friends, punching it back with a strong blow.

"We rip out its Heart. The body around the Nephilim is just a construct!" Oratorio jumped back when the Nephilim attacked him again, aiming his blade, the weapon opening into it's blaster form, another gout of fire bursting from it's edges and engulfing the Nephilim, and as the Nephilim roared while charging it was stopped dead when multiple large pillars shot from the air and rammed it into the ground, Koto landing near Ritsudo and Oratorio, spinning his staff in his hand as the copies disappeared.

"If that body is a construct, then we just need to soften it up, right?" Koto said, leaping forward and slamming his staff down onto the Nephilim's head when it shot at him, forcing the beast back into the dirt, "Easy enough!"

"You know, I kinda forgot how scary strong senpai is…" Ritsudo murmured, and behind his mask, Oratorio's eyes were wide in shock at the show of strength as Koto started dancing circles around the Nephilim, each blow from his staff sending a resounding noise through the air from it's rings as the Nephilim was smacked around like a doll with Koto's swift blows, Hibiki coming in with her fists against it.

"What the hell…" Oratorio murmured, Ritsudo chuckling as he looked at the masked individual.

"Just so y'know, Senpai was able to hand Finé her ass on his own." Ritsudo said, Oratorio gasping and looking back to the fight, Hibiki pulling her gauntlets back, priming them to fire, Koto jumping out of the way, Hibiki dashing forward with a burst coming from her fist, sending the Nephilim flying backwards, Koto coming down from the and slamming the Nephilim into the dirt.

"Hibiki, hit it in the chest again so Ritsudo and the FIS guy can get through!" Koto shouted, flipping back when the Nephilim threw him off, Hibiki nodding and shooting forward again.

"What do you even think you're protecting?!" Ver shouted, visibly freaking out at the Nephilim being overcome, "Your powers may be able to protect a few people, but have you thought about the lives that have been lost because they're so limited?!"

"Shut up Ver!" Oratorio shouted, but, those words struck something in Hibiki, and for just a moment, she froze, her mind flashing back, to the Zwei Wing concert… and to words still trapped in her mind.

" _That's why you're a hypocrite!"_

Hibiki grit her teeth and let out a yell, but, the moment of hesitation she had shown proved to be just enough for the Nephilim to move forward. AS Hibiki's fist came towards it, it's jaws opened and clamped down on her arm, Hibiki's eyes going wide from the suddenness of it, the pain not even registering in her mind as the Nephilim's jaws clamped tighter as it pulled her up, a sick tearing sound blowing through the air as the other's eyes widened, Hibiki's arm coming off with a horrible crunch and a spray of blood shooting out and marring the dirt.

"HIBIKI!" Ritsudo and Koto both yelled, Hibiki standing in pure shock as her right hand hovered at what was left of her arm, the trickle of blood slowing to a stop, the stunned girl looking up to see the Nephilim chewing, a gulp coming from it, the reality of what had just happened starting to settle in on Hibiki's expression…

"Ahh… ah…. AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The night was pierced with Hibiki's scream, only marked by the insane chuckling coming from Ver…

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I do apologize for this taking me** _ **three months**_ **to do, but, school and work have kept me busy. Especially since I have finals coming up in a little under a month now, so it's probably gonna be another while before I get another chapter out. Tch. But, either way… well, we all knew how this went in the show… only, I've got a twist in mind. Hehehe. Alrght then, see ya' next time!**


	25. G Stanza IX

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza IX: Miracolo Crudele**

The air soon filled with Ver's mad laughter as Hibiki slumped to the ground, the crunching sounds from the Nephilim's chewing on the devoured limb coming to a halt, the mad doctor throwing his arms skyward in his mad delight.

"Amazing!" Ver yelled, another mad cackle coming from him, "It ate the very Symphogear itself! And now…!"

Another gout of fire blasted towards Ver, the man shrieking as Oratorio lowered his sword and turned back to the Nephilim, a snarl present under his mask while Koto and Ritsudo got to Hibiki, the girl clenching her teeth as pain seeped through her body.

"Damn you Ver… this thing won't be allowed to live anymore!" Oratorio shouted, his blade coming down on the Nephilim with a resounding _clang_ through the air.

* * *

"That sicko!"

"That's what had planned?!"

Kirika and Skalla both slammed a hand against the wall of the chamber where the rest of the FIS group was watching the proceedings, Suiv folding his arms as a long breath escaped him.

"How far off the deep end has he gone?!" Kirika shouted, her fingernails digging into her palm.

"When he said feed fragments to the Nephilim… he meant this?" Shirabe murmured, glancing away from the screen.

"He decided he'd have it devour the 2nd Division Symphogears." Suiv said the dooming thought aloud, clicking his tongue, "Oratorio was right… we should have disabled that thing while it was weaker."

"Dammit! This… this isn't right!" Skalla shouted, tugging at his hair as a frustrated whine left his throat.

"Torio…" Maria's eyes were fixated on Oratorio's form as the Nephilim lashed at him, the air alight with white flames blazing from his sword…

* * *

"I'm going to fight the Nephilim once Ver brings it out."

A gasp escaped Maria's throat at Oratorio's statement. Hours before the battle actually began, Oratorio had taken Maria aside, away from the VTOL, where things could remain private between them.

"What!? Torio, you can't, the Nephilim, it…"

"It's why I'm going to side with the 2nd Division in order to do it." Oratorio's voice was level as he spoke, Maria's eyes widening in surprise, "I'm not going to betray FIS… but, I _refuse_ to let the Nephilim run free or for it to get stronger."

"Torio… what if it goes wrong? What if…"

"Stop worrying about the what ifs, please." Oratorio silence Maria by pulling her into a close embrace, the young woman slowly returning it, worry on her face, "I'll make it happen if I have to. I don't want this… I don't want us to be thrown onto a path where we don't know what it'll do to us."

"Can we? Can we still love each other on the path we're on now?" Maria murmured, Oratorio moving and kissing her for a moment, the young woman staring in surprise at the dead serious look in his eyes as he shook his head.

"Don't say that… don't turn those feelings into a burden Maria." Oratorio said, "If we let that happen… it'll only turn into hatred. It's why I _have_ to do this… so that none of us, so that our family, won't be put onto a path like that. I _promise_ I'll succeed, and I'll come right on back once I do."

* * *

"Ngh!"

"Where do you think you're going?" A sharp word from Natassja stopped Maria as she turned to leave the room, "My orders are for the five of you to remain on standby here. Oratorio has already caused enough trouble by turning traitor."

"He can't have! Mom, you saw that thing! Oratorio wouldn't betray us!" Skalla snapped, Maria nodding.

"Ver is just toying with people's lives… Oratorio was right, mom… we can't use the Nephilim!" Maria said, "This isn't what we should be doing!"

"We're… doing the right thing, aren't we?" Kirika muttered, Skalla gripping his arms tightly as a hiss left his throat.

"If we are… why do I feel so bad about this?" Skalla said, Shirabe nodding along, Suiv adjusting his glasses.

"That should be giving you your answer." Suiv said, staring intently at the Nephilim on screen, "That thing does nothing but destroy what's in front of it…"

"Let today be the last day you're shackled by your compassion." Natassja said, the others gasping, Suiv clicking his tongue, "We have no need for smiles or laughter."

"You're wrong…" Suiv muttered, the others looking at him, "Compassion isn't a shackle… the shackle is refusing to see the truth. I'm going out to help Oratorio… if you want to take that thing down too, feel free to come with me."

Natassja didn't make a move as Suiv left, only the sound of the door following, Maria exiting the room herself, but, she could only slump against the wall once the door closed, the woman sinking to the floor as a breath left her.

"Torio… Serena, what should I do? If I keep going down this… he's right… Oratorio is right, you wouldn't have wanted this, right?" Maria pulled a damaged Symphogear pendant from her pocket, clutching it tightly as she placed her head near her hands, "What should I do?"

* * *

"Damn… this is bad, Hibiki, you'll be fine, alright?!" Koto felt a twinge through him as Hibiki shuddered while clutching the stump of her missing limb, Ritsudo looking to Oratorio's fight against the Nephilim as the black armored Symphogear was pushed back, Oratorio growling as the Nephilim gleamed red.

"What the hell is up with that thing?!" Ritsudo snapped, Oratorio leveling his blade at the beast, the weapon opening into it's blaster like form.

"The Nephilim is like a self-regulating reactor. It can devour other relics to increase it's own power… and even if it was a small part, the fact it just ate a Symphogear…" Oratorio's words got gasps from Ritsudo and Koto, the beast before them starting to throb and pulse as the red light coming from it increased.

"Exactly!" Ver screamed, mad delight on his face as the Nephilim began changing, growing, "Can you hear it?! The beat of awakening!? This is the power that will life the Frontier into the skies!"

"Are you… what am I saying, you are insane!" Ritsudo shouted, standing and leveling his blade at the Nephilim, "Whatever your plan is, this thing is the wrong choice! How the hell can a beast that devours Relics be used as some kind of power source?!"

"It can't." The calm voice of Suiv came through the air, the younger Tuner landing and flicking daggers into his hands, "But, you _can_ use its heart for that purpose. But right now, we should be more concerned about killing it. If that thing runs wild, it'll be bad for _all of us."_

"Suiv, what are you doing here?" Oratorio snapped, Suiv giving him a glance, that said everything, "Ugh.. fine. Let's just rip that damn heart out already!"

"Uh… guys… I think we have another problem." Koto said, the others turning as Hibiki's shudders became louder, more like growls than whimpers of pain, Ver's mad laughter stopping in confusion. A glow came from Hibiki's chest, shining from her scar, before the light burst, shadowy tendrils beginning to cover her body, Ritsudo's eyes widening as the tendrils totally covered Hibiki, her eyes glaring red and an animalistic howl bellowing from the girl's mouth, "What the hell?!"

"This happened back during the Lunar Attack." Ritsudo stated, Koto looking at him with surprise, Tsubasa and Kyomei bearing shocked expressions off on the sidelines, Oratorio and Suiv retreating back as Hibiki snarled, "We don't know what it is or _how_ it happens, but it's bad…" Ritrsudo notably had a hand over his chest, the same spot he'd taken a hit before, "And considering I nearly got killed last time this happened… we're in trouble."

Hibiki's form rose up with the continued shuddering growls, glaring down the Nephilim with a snarl as her eyes glared a harsh red, another roar coming from the girl before energy burst from the stump of her arm, wrapping into tendrils before reforming into a new limb entirely.

"She was able to focus her Gear's energy into the shape of an arm? It's as though she's manifesting an Armed Gear!" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei shaking his head, Tsubasa looking at him with a surprised look, Kyomei's visor locked down, all sorts of data flying in front of his eyes.

"That's not just focusing energy… I think Hibiki completely reformed her arm as well. Whatever it is, it's like the Berserk form has given her accelerated healing abilities." Kyomei said, the visor clicking back, revealing the worried look on his face, "But, the shards in her body were merging with her… I don't want to think about what this is doing to that merging."

A low growl escaped Hibiki's mouth, her attention turning from the Nephilim to Ritsudo and Koto, the two taking a ready stance in case she lunged at _them_ instead. A lunge didn't happen, but, one of her arms shot out, black tendrils shooting from the limb towards Koto, his staff flying to deflect them, but the tendrils only redirected and snared him, Koto growling as the grip trapped him.

"Koto!" Kyomei pushed harder against the binds against him, Ritsudo's attempt at cutting Koto free only causing red energy to arc out and send him flying back and into the ground hard, a growl coming from Hibiki before turning into some kind of incoherent phrasing, disturbingly akin to an activation phrase, Koto letting out a pain filled scream as red energy arced around him, a yellow light around him, but it was flickering in blackness.

"The hell?!" Koto growled, grimacing as pain continued to arc across his body, Ritsudo shooting back to his feet, "Stay back!"

"But…" Ritsudo stopped when Koto shook his head, the young man's eyes flickering red as he snarled, "Senpai!"

"I can… she's trying to force a Synchronize… if I can push back, maybe I can… what?" Koto seemingly froze, his eyes continuing to flicker red, a howl coming from Hibiki as the chant grew louder, "I can see… she's not… ngh… GUAHHHHHH!"

The light around Koto burst into black and red shadows until it burst into a pillar that shot into a sky as the scream followed it, the howl from Hibiki matching it as the air around everyone became a torrent, the Noise binding the other three 2nd Division Symphogears being blown away by the energy in the air, Kyomei and Tsubasa's expressions horrified as the pillar of blackness came down, silence following as the now silhouette like form of Koto stood, not a feature on the shadows covering his face besides two glowing red orbs where his eyes would be.

But possibly even more terrifying to the group was how his staff had changed. Gone was the smooth black pole and gold embellishments, instead, a glaring pillar of red with spikes jutting along it's length, a harsh barbed spear-head topping the weapon.

"That's not Ruyi Jingu Bang…" Tsubasa muttered, Kyomei shaking his head as fear showed on his face.

"That's… Gae Bolg… but, but how?! We have that Relic sealed… Koto specifically made _sure_ it was locked away… so why, why is it here _now?"_ Kyomei gasped, Ritsudo letting out a groan at the sight before him.

"We're so screwed." Ritsudo grumbled, flinching when the red orbs of Koto's eyes turned towards him for a moment before the attention of both Koto and Hibiki turned to the Nephilim, Hibiki taking a beast-like stance, a brief moment passing before both lunged at the creature, crunching noises breaking the silence as Hibiki's fists slammed into the Nephilim, spurts of some kind of fluid following the strikes from the spear in Koto's hands, Ver screaming as the two berserk Symphogears wildly struck at the Nephilim.

"S-Stop! Stop it!" Ver shrieked, the Nephilim roaring as Hibiki and Koto continued striking it with the fury of predators bearing down on prey, the ground nearly drenched in the spewing fluids that could only be called blood as the barbed spear pierced its body again and again. "We need the fully-grown Nephilim in order to realize our new world! And you… you…!"

The Nephilim got a blow in, sending Hibiki flying, but her recovery was quick, getting back into the fight in moments, the Nephilim reeling backwards from the resounding blows from it's berserk foes.

"NOOOO!" Ver's shriek pierced the air, and he scrambled to Oratorio and Suiv, grabbing the Staff of Solomon from Oratorio in his frenzy.

"VER!" Oratorio attempted to reclaim the Staff, but a shockwave that burst through the air shoved him and Suiv back, a bolt of red shooting between Oratorio and Ver before shooting back, Koto grabbing the returned spear as the Nephilim lurched from the two new wounds making its body ooze, Ver shrieking again as he fired the Staff wildly, Noise appearing in droves before forming into a single mass of a blob.

A roar came from Hibiki as the Nephilim turned to run, Koto's attention turning to the beast, the Noise between him and it, the shadows covering him billowing out as the spear in his hand began blazing with red light, the weapon being released again with a burst of power that blasted the spectators back, the spear blasting through the Noise with no regard for it's presence to strike the Nephilim, the beast screaming as the barbed weapon pinning it to the dirt with a shockwave resounding through the air itself.

Another roar came from Hibiki as she pounced on the struggling creature, driving a hand through it's back right into it's chest, Ver screaming again as the berserk girl began pulling, ripping the very heart of the Nephilim right out of the body, the odd organ still puling for a moment as the Nephilim's green "blood" spewed from the wound, Hibiki tossing the heart aside, a spear like construct forming on her arm, another roar following before she drove it into the Nephilim's body, red light spewing from the wound before an explosion followed it blinding all of those present to it.

And once the light had faded, all that was left standing there were Hibiki and the Gae Bolg, the red spear flying back to Koto's hand, Ver only capable of screaming once more in horror.

"That's… one way to deal with it." Oratorio muttered, turning his attention to Ver next, though as he stepped forward, the crackle of the communication line stole his attention, Suiv putting a hand to his headset.

" _Suiv-kun, Oratorio, it's mom, she's taken a turn for the worst!"_ Kirika's voice came over the line, Oratorio gasping as he turned to the VTOL, Suiv clicking his tongue.

"We'll be right there Kirika! Skalla, if you're listening, start the VTOL now, we're getting out of here!" Suiv said, Oratorio watching as he jumped off.

"Suiv, the Staff! We can't leave it!" Oratorio shouted, Suiv turning and pointing to Hibiki and Koto.

"We'll come back for them Oratorio, but as long as _those two_ are like that, we'd be in danger! I saw how that guy with the spear fought, he could take us down by himself! Do we really want to fight him when he's berserk?" Suiv said, Oratorio giving a growl.

"You're right. Mom comes first, we'll collect the Staff and the Heart later!" Oratorio said, Suiv nodding, the two fleeing back to the VTOL with that, Ritsudo shouting as he chased after.

"HEY! Don't run you goddamn… tch…" Ritsudo only clicked his tongue as the VTOL began lifting off, turning back to Hibiki and Koto as Ver began backing away in fear, "We still have this problem…"

"Now what?" Kyomei stood with a cautious move as his hands gripped his formed rifle, Chris starting to stir awake as Tsubasa gripped a sword with her left hand.

"What's going on?" Chris murmured, Kyomei aiming his weapon as Koto's attention turned towards them, Hibiki's eyes on Ver as she snarled again, and when she lunged, Ritsudo shot in the way, blocking her strike with his sword and pushing her back.

"Snap out of it! The fight's over Hibiki, calm down!" Ritsudo snapped, dodging when Hibiki wildly struck at him, Koto responding to the roar and lashing out himself, Kyomei and Tsubasa diving out of the way of the strike, Chris yelping as she rolled out of the way, ending up near Ritsudo as he jumped back from Hibiki's pounce, "Glad you can join the fight!"

"Can it! What the hell is this?!" Chris snapped, forming her crossbows as Ritsudo deflected Hibiki again, Kyomei and Tsubasa fending off Koto, but keeping from attacking as the spear flew through the air at them, Chris turning and spotting Ver starting to run, "We should go after him and the Staff!"

"We can worry about that later! He won't get far!" Ritsudo shouted, glancing at Ver as the man ran off, tripping his way through while pathetically screaming, and Ritsudo tried his best to avoid cracking an amused grin at the sight, instead going to a grumbling snarl as he blocked a punch from Hibiki, the blade shuddering as she pushed back, "Come on Hibiki, cool off already! We are _not_ repeating last time!"

"Last time?!" Chris snapped, shaking her head as she aimed, "Whatever, how the hell do we stop them?"

"Last time this happened I _kinda_ almost got killed so… no clue." Ritsudo said, getting knocked backwards, Chris keeping Hibiki at bay with shots from her bow, "Well, noted that this berserk state makes someone crazy tough."

"Is now the time to comment on it?!"

"No, no it isn't."

"We need to think of… something!" Kyomei slid to the ground as he ducked a stab from Koto, Tsubasa landing in front of him and blocking the sweep.

"This has to be able to wear off somehow!" Tsubasa said, growling as Koto got dangerously close, an unnerving feeling going through the young woman as the featureless shadow of his face came within inches, "Snap out of it Koto, this isn't you!"

"I'm not even sure he can hear us." Kyomei stood as Koto jumped back, the shadows around him lowering a bit as Hibiki backed off as well, Kyomei's face showing he suddenly understood it, "Wait, I think I got it! Since Hibiki forced a Synchronization, if we can cancel it out, then both of them might return to normal!"

"How can you even be sure of that?!" Ritsudo shouted, pulling Chris out of the way as Hibiki lunged at them again as she released another howl, "Hell can we even _do that?!"_

"I… don't know!" Kyomei shouted, a shot from his rifle being reflected as Koto swiped his spear, "But we have to try something, or hold out until it wears off!"

"We don't even know if it _does_ wear off!" Chris said, batting Hibiki aside as her weapons formed into their Gatling cannon form, "We don't have lots of options right now!"

"I agree… holding out may be our only choice!" Tsubasa said, locking her blade between the barbs of the Gae Bolg, pinning the weapon down.

"Damn… what the hell _can_ we do?" Ritsudo gripped Kusanagi just a bit tighter as his mind raced for a solution. They _could_ hold out and hope this outrage would pitter out, but with a forced Synchronization bouncing things back and forth, who knew if it even _would_ stop on it's own. "There has to be _something!"_

And then came that twinge in his mind, a ring in the air as Kusanagi seemingly vibrated for a moment. The familiar feeling in Ritsudo's mind of the Relic communicating with him.

"You want me to _what?"_ Ritsudo said, another twinge coming, the blue aura around the blade increasing to a steady ebb and flow rather than a sheathe, Ritsudo flipping the sword to have the blunt edge be outwards, though it was more like Kusanagi _made_ Ritsudo flip it, "Don't patronize me for not thinking of that immediately… you better be right about this you damn shiv."

"Ritsu, she's coming for you again!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo placing his blade at his hip as Hibiki's attention turned to him again, Ritsudo letting out a long breath as Hibiki's snarl turned into another roar.

"Sorry."

When Hibiki lunged, her fist went flying for Ritsudo's chest, and a blue gleam could be seen coming from Ritsudo's own forte scar as he ducked the blow, Hibiki's arm blowing past his head, Kusanagi raising from Ritsudo's side, the blunt end slamming into Hibiki's side and being raked along in a single rapid slash that left a blue swathe of energy in it's wake that blew through the air with a powerful gust following it, a blue color gash of light on Hibiki's side marring the black shadows, the girl frozen in place, Ritsudo standing straight and swiping his blade, the "sheathe" of light dissipating from it.

There was a humming in the air, pulsing ripples showing in the air around Hibiki, a roar coming from her again as a mixed pillar of black and blue shot into the air around her, Tsubasa and Kyomei shooting back from Koto as a pillar of light shot up from him in time to it, everyone bracing as the air burst from the forces of things.

When the air finally became still again, Koto and Hibiki had returned to their untransformed states, Koto falling to his knees but still conscious, breathing heavily with a visible look of shock on his face, the spear in his hands reverting to the former staff form of Ruyji Jingu Bang, Hibiki unconscious in comparison, Ritsudo catching her as she fell back.

"What… just happened?" Chris said, Kyomei and Tsubasa helping Koto stand, Ritsudo staring at Kusanagi with a look of disbelief on, "Ritsu, what did you just do?"

"I… don't know." Ritsudo said, shifting the unconscious Hibiki into an easier hold, his eyes still on the side, "Kusanagi just… gave me the idea. But… we can worry about it later. Senpai, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Koto nodded, his staff returning to pendant form, the chain jingling between his fingers, "I just… I'll need a moment is all… how's Hibiki?"

"No clue… but she's alive, at least." Ritsudo said, then noticing the fact Hibiki's left arm was perfectly fine… like it hadn't been bitten off at all, "It really did regenerate… just what the hell is even going on?"

"Koto, are you _sure_ you're okay?" Kyomei got a nod in response, Koto grumbling as he put a hand to his head.

"I'm fine Kyomei, don't worry… I just need a bit of rest is all… we should be more concerned with Hibiki though…" Koto said, the others nodding in agreeance.

* * *

"Mom?!"

Oratorio and Maria burst into the cockpit room, Skalla grumbling all sorts of things as he navigated the VTOL away from the site, managing despite seeming to flail around, Suiv passing by and taking the other seat to take control, Natassja unconscious and blood marring her chin and front.

"Darn, now?!" Oratorio clicked his tongue as a hand bunched, Maria gritting her teeth.

"Hold on, mom!" Maria said, turning to the kids, "Bring the doctor here, right away!"

"Uh… Maria, I hate to be that guy but… do we still need Ver?" Skalla said, turning back from his seat with a concerned look, "I mean… he did kinda… y'know."

"I can do emergency first aid, but we need to have him see her!" Maria said, Oratorio sighing, everyone turning when Suiv cleared his throat, the boy clicking the vehicle into auto-pilot and swiveling the chair around, flashing a thumb drive he'd pulled from his sweater's pocket, "Suiv?"

"We don't actually need Ver anymore Maria." Suiv said, angling the thumb drive a bit, "I did some data-mining on his computer while he was… away. This has all of the data of his personal files, research, everything on it… as well as some personal notes. It's a bit of a sick kind of amusing, but he kept this self-aggrandizing journal. He's got quite the ego, though I think tonight proved it was pretty fragile all the same."

"Suiv-kun, what do you mean?" Shirabe asked, Suiv lowering his arm, adjusting his glasses with a quick push of his fingers, black locks swaying as he looked back up, a cold glint in his dark eyes.

"You guys didn't find it odd Mom has only been getting worse instead of better? All of her most recent sick spells have been worse than the last… the digging I did showed Ver's been… messing with things. For a while he really _was_ keeping her condition stable. Now? Not so much…"

"Huh?!" Kirika and Skalla gasped in unison, Maria and Oratorio with similar confused looks.

"Ver's recent treatments have just been accelerate Mom's problems. He was functionally poisoning her." Suiv said, gasps coming from all of the others, "But with the rest of this data here, we can ditch him. I even found the data on how to produce more LiNKER… only problem being I still haven't cracked the encryption on the rest of the data, for now."

"You did all of that on your own?" Skalla got a flat look from Suiv in return, the light-blue haired boy chuckling, "Well… I mean it is impressive."

"It is, but we can't just ignore Ver either." Oratorio said, attention turning to him as he folded his arms, "Ver has the Staff of Solomon with him, and the Nephilim was destroyed with its Heart somewhere around the Kadingir site. Ver is bound to get desperate and even more unhinged than he's been showing to be… I don't want that madman running around the city where he can hurt civilians."

"T… Oratorio, what about mom?" Maria asked, refraining from using her nickname for Oratorio in front of the others, Suiv again flashing the thumb drive.

"I can use the data here to at least keep Mom stable… but, Maria… you know she's dying. Her injuries are catching up to her… we can only keep Mom going for so much longer." Suiv's statement made everyone in the room go silent, Suiv turning back to the main console, "I'll get something going… and hope our sensors can track the Staff. Skalla, Shirabe, Kirika, we should start looking for Ver tomorrow."

"Yeah… that sounds right. Where should we land for now?" Skalla turned back forward too, Kirika leaning on the back of his chair.

"Somewhere out of sight. We need to keep Mom in a safe spot while she gets better." Kirika said, Skalla scratching his head.

"Yeah but where to hide?"

"We can likely keep hidden in the woods on the outskirts." Shirabe said, "We can start looking in the reconstruction districts too. Suiv-kun?"

"Sounds about right. If Ver was going to hide somewhere, it'd be the parts of the city still being repaired from the Lunar Attack. Good idea Shirabe."

Shirabe nodded in response to Suiv's bit of praise, Oratorio letting out a small chuckle as he watched the four continue to discuss the topic of what to do next, a proud little smile on the young man's face, though it faltered a bit as he turned back to Maria, now moving Natassja out of the room, an uneasy feeling setting in as he brought his pendant out into his hand.

" _What happened earlier… I felt something odd about that guy from the 2_ _nd_ _Division…"_ Oratorio's mind flashed back both to how Koto fought and seeing the berserk state from him, _"When he went berserk… something about that aura felt different… off. But what_ is _the answer to that?"_

* * *

There was silent but palpable worry among the 2nd Division as Hibiki was moved into the medical room, still unconscious as she was moved in, the door shutting and leaving the other Gear users and Genjuuro in silence and unsureness about what would happen after the events of the night.

"She'll be fine… she's gotta be." Ritsudo's hand tightened it's hold on his pendant until he felt the item digging into his palm, turning when he heard a hand slam to the wall, Tsubasa letting out a growl of frustration.

"Tsubasa… come on, she'll be fine. She's pulled through worse… arguably speaking." Kyomei said, putting a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder, getting to the girl to seemingly relax a bit, "We should go… all we can do is wait right now."

"Yeah…" Tsubasa let out a sigh as she turned, and one could catch her grasping Kyomei's hand as he led off.

"Genjuuro, is it alright if I stay here?" Ritsudo asked, Genjuuro lifting a brow, "It's just… after that, I want to be sure Hibiki's going to be okay. I used the blunt edge, but…"

"I understand. I'll bring around something so that you'll be more comfortable." Genjuuro turned and left with that, Chris still staying.

"It's fine Chris, you can go." Ritsudo said, putting a hand on Chris' head, "Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just… frustrated and confused." Chris said, Ritsudo lowering his hand, "I went down too easily, and then all of that… what the hell is going on?"

"It may have to do with the Gungnir fragments." Koto spoke up, Ritsudo and Chris turning to him, "I… felt it. When she forced the Synchronization. Something is going on with Hibiki because of those shards. They're probably going to be looking into that while they examine her… I'll be around again in a bit… there's… some things I need to talk to Hibiki about when she wakes up anyway."

"Huh?" Chris lifted a brow as Koto left, Ritsudo letting out a hum.

"He probably… saw things during that. It may have been forced, but I don't think it stops the mind-meld that happens." Ritsudo said, Chris folding her arms.

"Huhh? Alright… just get home in a bit alright?" Chris said, Ritsudo nodding, the girl trotting off, Ritsudo sighing as he leaned against the wall and sunk down to a sitting position.

"I need to talk to Chris about things." He murmured, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, "I'm gonna feel like such an ass when I do though…"

* * *

" _Huh? What am I… oh, it's this again. Been a while since I had this one."_

Sleep wasn't just silent and immediate for Ritsudo that night. It was less of a dream, more of a really strong memory. He'd long since thought he'd forgotten about it… but here it was.

 _His eyes were boring into papers thrown and strewn onto the middle school desk in front of him, each of them covering the disaster at the concert, news about the outrage of the people… and the news of the only two survivors. He could only see the name "Tachibana" coming after his, though he didn't care enough to bother reading the rest of it. Though, he didn't really want to either, as if knowing who the second survivor was would be something he'd regret._

" _He's still coming to school here?"_

" _I'm surprised he still has the guts to be alive after that."_

" _So many people dead… lucky survivor my foot. Him and that girl in first year killed them all."_

" _Did you hear that if you survive a Noise attack you get some big payout if you get injured? My dad said it was called "Special Disaster Compensation" or something like that."_

" _Seriously?! Peh, no wonder he's doing fine on his own. That comes out of our parents' paychecks, right?"_

" _Course it does. Waste of money if you ask me."_

"You're all just idiots thinking the crap your parents tell you." _Was the thought going through his head, Ritsudo huffing as he brushed the papers off the desk and sat down…_

 _And the scenery was now the streets outside of the school. Ritsudo's back hit the walling of a yard as a dull pain throbbed through his gut, a group of three boys in front of him, the first grabbing Ritsudo by his hoodie's collar, Ritsudo's expression dull but with a lingering annoyance about it._

" _Why the hell did_ you _have to survive that?! We lost family in that attack, why couldn't they be alive instead of you?!"_

" _I don't know." The deadpan response to the angry lashing got an irked look from the other boy, a fist coming around and slamming into Ritsudo's face, Ritsudo hardly reacting as he kept himself from falling, getting grabbed again, the other two bows chuckling as their leader gave a smirk._

" _Don't be smart Narukami. You're the one who killed them all!"_

" _You're just saying that because you're an idiot."_

 _PAM!_

" _SHUT UP!" The boy struck Ritsudo again, "Murderer, don't you get it?"_

" _No, I don't." Ritsudo replied, standing up, "I don't get how people can be so stupid… it was a disaster, you read the papers just like everyone else."_

" _Yeah but you and that Tachibana girl from first year were the only ones who got out of it… well, besides that idol girl, but she's as much a victim as everyone who died!" One of the other boys said, Ritsudo just scoffing._

" _That's quite the double standard."_

 _BAM!_

 _All three boys struck him in the gut at once, Ritsudo slumping over and retching a bit as they pulled back, and when he looked back up, his expression was irritated._

" _Noise are just mindless monsters. Someone's gotta be held accountable, right? So why not the survivors of that attack? Who knows, maybe you two somehow orchestrated it!"_

" _Yeah, it's your fault they're gone!"_

" _What did you just say?" Something about Ritsudo's voice had become harsh, angry, his eyes shifting into an angry glare, the boy shooting up and slamming a fist into the gut of the first boy, the other two catching the young man as he was sent reeling back, Ritsudo standing full as he pulled his fist back, a cold, angry snarl on his face, "My fault? Hold someone accountable? What the hell kind of crap is that?!"_

 _PAM! BAM!_

 _Ritsudo's fists and feet started flying at the three boys, the three retaliating, but for every hit they got in, a more savage, furious blow was dealt to them by Ritsudo, one hit drawing blood from the mouth of one of them, staining Ritsudo's knuckles red and some splashing onto his face._

" _People don't get held accountable for floods or earthquakes, do they?!" Ritsudo's voice was enraged as he blocked a blow from the two still standing while the other writhed on the ground holding his jaw as blood dripped onto the pavement, reeling back a leg and slamming his foot into the gut of another hard enough that when the boy lurched back, vomit ebbed out of his mouth, Ritsudo grabbing the third and slamming him into the wall, "Don't you idiots go saying this was my fault, don't go and give your petty bullshit to me! You're invalidating those people! Don't go saying it's because of one person!"_

 _The beating just didn't stop there, Ritsudo not letting up when the boys retaliated in an effort against him again, and by the end of it, Ritsudo was standing over three groaning, bloodied and broken boys with blood dripping from his knuckles, red marring his clothes and face as heavy breaths left his throat._

 _His eyes shifted up just a bit, and he could see someone peering at the scene from around the corner. His vision was blurred due to a few blows to his head, and the blood dripping into one eye didn't help much, but he could faintly make out it was probably a girl._

 _She didn't stay there long though, quickly dashing across the way and out of sight, Ritsudo giving a huff as he slumped against the wall, the sound of sirens in the air now._

" _Oh… someone must have seen things… or maybe that girl called the police? Heh… whatever… doesn't matter now." A dry, hollow laugh left his throat as the flashing sirens came into view, "This sucks… this really, really sucks."_

* * *

"Hey, Narukami-kun?"

Ritsudo was shaken awake by a gentle nudging on his shoulder, Ritsudo's eyes cracking open as he shifted, looking over to see Miku leaning in to look at him as he shifted awake.

"Huh? Kohinata, what're… what are you doing here?" Ritsudo let out a yawn mid-sentence, Miku standing straight as he rubbed the back of his head, "Dammit I'm stiff…"

"You shouldn't be sleeping sitting against a wall then." Miku said, almost in a scolding sense of it, Ritsudo giving a mumble, the blanket that had been put over his shoulders slipping off of him, and Miku looked a bit closer, "Were you crying?"

"Huh?" Ritsudo raised a brow at the question, then noticing the wet feeling on his face and on the corners of his eyes, quickly going to rub his face dry, "It's nothing… just, a dream… kind of. You're here to see Hibiki, right?"

"Yeah. I heard she was out." Miku said, Ritsudo standing, stretching to get some of the stiffness out, spotting the folded card in Miku's hand, "Well, something like that."

"It's… complicated." Ritsudo said, a tap on the large door causing it to slide open into the medical room, Hibiki still out cold on the bed, "The doctors said she should wake up soon though."

"That's good." Miku said, walking over to the bed and placing the card near Hibiki's head, "She looks perfectly fine though."

"That's the weird part. Whatever that berserk state was or… is… we honestly don't know what it does. Though… maybe senpai would know now." Ritsudo put a hand on his chin, and he felt this pang as he looked at Hibiki, still amazed himself she was completely unharmed from the event, much less having regenerated her entire arm as well.

"Cadenza-san?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." Miku hummed, taking a moment more before turning to leave, Ritsudo following back out, though to his surprise, Miku instead turned around to face him as the door closed, "Narukami-kun, I want to ask you something."

"Uh… okay."

"What kind of feelings do you have towards Hibiki?"

" _Not this again."_ Ritsudo let out a groan of sorts at the question, _"Not that I don't get why… I'd have to be an idiot if I couldn't see how Kohinata feels about Hibiki."_

Ritsudo flinched a bit at the intense stare coming from Miku, Ritsudo giving a sigh and standing straighter.

"I don't know."

To his surprise, Miku shifted a bit, the glint in her eyes looked _annoyed_ at the answer he gave her, her brow furrowing like she was unsatisfied with it.

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't know how I feel about Hibiki… or how I feel about Chris either." Ritsudo said, Miku then looking taken aback by that addition of it, "I'm just… confused and unsure about it, alright?"

"Why?" Miku said, her voice more of a mumble, "You spend so much time with her… how can you say "I don't know" like that?"

"That's… hard to answer." Ritsudo said, a hand balling up before relaxing. Miku's body had turned tense, her voice was wavering as she said that, like she was shaking with something, wrestling with troubled feelings of her own, "It's just… I spent nearly half of my life alone, abandoned by the world… and what happened two years ago just… something in me snapped after that. I'm not used to it… having people who care about me. It still feels weird to think about it, even after what I've tried to do, who I'm trying to be."

Miku felt this uneasiness in her chest. Ritsudo's expression was solemn, lost even, she could see the rushing thoughts… then her mind went back to the school festival.

"That performance of yours, during the festival." Miku said, Ritsudo looking at her more directly, "I saw it, and I thought it was nice… you had such a bright, honest smile even as your eyes started welling up. I could tell what you were feeling at the moment… that smile reminded me of Hibiki's own. Narukami-kun, I honestly do want to trust Hibiki in that you're a good person, I don't want to hate you, but… I can't like you either, not when I feel like this."

"Hm?"

"Not when I feel like you could do something that could hurt Hibiki, that you could make the wrong choice." Miku said, Ritsudo giving a hum, "I… I feel bad about it, but, I looked into some things about you… I just, I can't bring myself to trust someone who…"

"It's fine, I get it." Ritsudo cut Miku off, stopping her from saying something he could tell she didn't want to say, "You're a nice person Kohinata, so don't say something like that if it'd feel like venom on your tongue to say it."

"I just don't want Hibiki to get hurt."

"I get that." Ritsudo said, pocketing his hands, "I understand why you wouldn't want to trust me. I wasn't a good person before… I was bitter, angry with the world. I don't like saying it, but I understand hatred… I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive my family for what they did to me… but I was wrong to lash out for it. I think back on the day I finally snapped and now… I regret it… I regret becoming the person I was before now… but, it's hard to lift yourself up when you're all alone."

"I… I see." Miku said, her hands bunching the hem of her skirt, _"Why do I feel like this? He was lost and alone… Hibiki was being herself when she helped him… they're similar in more ways than I thought but… I wonder, could Hibiki have turned out like that if I wasn't there after that concert? Hibiki at least had her family to help her too but… Narukami-kun didn't. They both had to bear such heavy things… so why… why can't I just trust Hibiki about him? Why do I feel this way?"_

"But… I think it's a good thing, that Hibiki has a friend like you, Kohinata." Ritsudo's statement got a flinch out of Miku, and she looked up slowly, silent in the wake of a calm, but sad smile being on his face, "I don't think I'm really that great of it either… honestly I feel like an ass for keeping quiet towards Chris, but… with how things are with me, I can't be what she wants, not right now."

"Like me, huh?" Miku muttered, Ritsudo catching a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"Kohinata… please, don't stop being there for Hibiki, as one friend of hers to another." Ritsudo's words got Miku to flinch again, her expression stunned, "You know it was well as I do… Hibiki's not the brightest, and she's completely, utterly terrible at showing when something is bothering her, she puts others before herself and god damn if it can't be a bit annoying, but, she's a good person, and I'm thankful she took the time to help out the piece of trash person I was… I'm glad she went out of her way to be my friend… so, please, Miku, don't let my best friend lose the support she has."

Miku could only nod, her head faced down and staring at the floor, Ritsudo passing by after collecting the blanket on the ground, Miku's downturned face hiding the troubled expression she had on, small tears starting to show out of frustration.

"Why… why do I dislike someone who's so kind?"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **And that's this one! There's much more to do on some things but I didn't want to drag anything out so… NEXT CHAPTER… but oh boy is this gonna come back later… oof. I'm feeling some vibes like Kouta and Micchy from Kamen Rider Gaim going on here with Ritsudo and Miku.**

 **And just a quick thing since I feel some of you could get better ideas, hell I wanted to say this for a while, hypothetical Seiyuus for the boys!**

 _ **Ritsudo: Kensho Ono**_

 _ **Kyomei: Mamoru Miyano**_

 _ **Koto: Gackt**_

 _ **Oratorio: Yusuke Kobayashi**_

 _ **Skalla: Yuuki Kaji**_

 _ **Suiv: Soma Saito**_


	26. G Stanza X

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza X: Obbligazioni**

"I hope I end up doing the right thing."

Koto sighed deeply as he proceeded down the hallway to the medical bay, taking his earbuds off and pocketing them, though as he moved forward to enter, the door slide open, revealing Hibiki standing there herself, dressed in her uniform, Koto raising a brow to see her in front of him.

"Shouldn't you still be in bed?" Koto said, Hibiki putting a hand behind her head as she let out a chuckle.

"Hehehe uh… y-yeah." Hibiki responded, "But, I'm fine I swear!"

"It's not physical wellness I'm concerned about." Koto said, turning around and gesturing for Hibiki to follow him, "Come on, let's go talk somewhere we can sit down."

"O-Okay. Will it take long, I do gotta get to school." Hibiki said.

"You'll be fine." Koto said, the walk to the nearest lounge area silent between the two, Hibiki still silent for a moment more as they sat down, Koto giving a sigh, "So… look, I know that after… _that,_ you may not want to actually talk about it but… what did you see? When… _that_ happened."

"Huh?"

"You're probably confused since you've never Synchronized before but…" Koto sighed a bit as he paused, leaning his arms on the table, "When a Tuner and Harmonic Synchronize, it does more than _just_ allow them to bounce their power back and forth to increase their output. Synchronizing also bonds the pair down to the mental level, they can share thoughts and know what one will do at the very moment they decide to do it and react accordingly. But, at the same time, doing this causes the two to see further. You become privy to your partner's deepest emotions and secrets, you start to know them as well as you know yourself."

"I'm… not following that well." Hibiki gave a nervous chuckle, Koto sighing.

"Alright then, let me give you a direct example: Even though you two can't Synchronize, you and Ritsudo don't need to communicate verbally to understand what one another does, right?"

"Yeah. We train together so often we know how we move in a fight easy. It's why Ritsu and I can come up with new moves on the fly!"

"Exactly. Synchronizing does the same thing, bonding you and your partner so that your natural wavelengths match up. But, unlike your and Ritsudo's instinctual bond in a battle, Synchronizing is deeper… one could even say more intimate than something like that." Koto stated, "How do you think Ritsudo was able to befriend Chris so quickly?"

"Uhm…"

"It's because they Synchronized. Even just one time can cause a Tuner and Harmonic to understand one another far better than they would normally." Koto stated, "If you want me to be even more specific… Synchronization overrides the Curse of Balal for a short time."

"Huh?" Hibiki's eyes widened at the statement, "F-For real? It does that?"

"I did say a Synchronized pair can share thoughts and feelings. 'Through the power of Song, two can become one and act as a single being with total understanding of the other' is what Ryoko said about it when she taught me, Kanade, Tsubasa, and Kyomei about it years ago."

"That's… incredible." Hibiki said, Koto nodding, folding his arms.

"Which brings us to why I wanted to talk to you." Koto said, "When you went Berserk, you were still aware of it, weren't you?"

"I…" Hibiki stopped for a moment, then nodded as a sullen look came to her face, "Yes. It's not the first time this happened to me… back when we fought Ryoko-san, it happened to. It's like… I know what I'm doing, but it felt like I was just watching, that I didn't have any control over what was happening."

"I see." Koto hummed, shutting his eyes for a moment, "I'll be straight with this… when you were in that state, you forced a Synchronize with me. It's because your Gungnir, Kanade's Gungnir, is a Synch Match with my Ruyi Jingu Bang. Kanade and I would Synchronize often since she had to use LiNKER, so I can imagine the Gungnir you got from her still has the wavelength imprinted on it."

"So you…"

"Yeah. Aside from being put into a similar berserk state… I saw things too. Memories. _Your_ memories, Hibiki." Koto said, Hibiki looking to the side, "I know about how you survived that concert a few years ago… but, I had no idea what the results were of it. But, frankly… I think what happened was terrible. Peh, that's the problem with our society… people just can't accept that things don't always have a reason or a perpetrator, so they put the blame on someone to give themselves a false sense of closure."

"I wonder if Ritsu went through the same thing." Hibiki quietly said so, Koto lifting a brow. "Is it… is it okay if I say what I saw too?"

"Go ahead. Honestly I wanted to know if you did. It's probably about time I start facing those things anyway." Koto's response was tinged with sadness to it, Hibiki knew why without even having to ask… the memories were already in her mind, even if they weren't hers.

"I saw… memories of Kanade-san. Happy memories, sad ones… and then… painful memories. I never knew you had to…"

"That was the day that broke me, I think." Koto said, Hibiki falling silent, "Watching the person you love die in your arms, especially like that, does things. Scortura was able to take over because I let myself get lost, in more ways than one." He sighed again, then looked Hibiki square in the eye, "Hibiki, now that you've seen that and… understand a bit more, and now that _I_ know more about you, is it alright if I give you some advice?"

"Yeah." Hibiki nodded, Koto letting out a breath.

"Don't be scared or feel bad about being selfish, about being human." Koto said, Hibiki tilting her head, "People are a mess of complicated emotions and logic. By nature, we contradict ourselves and question why we do what we do. But, don't be so intent on helping others that you forget yourself. You're the heart of this team Hibiki, a lot like Kanade was… you're the reason this ragtag bunch of misfits isn't going at each other for every little mishap we make as human beings."

"The heart of the team, huh?" Hibiki murmured, and Koto could see it on her face, that she was tackling with his words, like the idea of being even just a bit selfish was clashing with her natural habits.

"Hibiki, there's nothing wrong with being selfless." Koto's words got Hibiki's attention with those words, "In fact, I admire the fact you're so willing to help people, but, there's a point where selflessness becomes dangerous. It's not wrong to be selfish so long as you don't do so in a way that hurts people… and it's not wrong to be selfless, but it _becomes_ wrong when that selflessness puts yourself in danger."

"So… is what I'm doing just hypocrisy, like Shirabe-chan said?" Hibiki asked, a sigh escaping her, "Even though I'm trying to make people happy, will I just bring pain and sadness to others instead?"

"That's something you'll have to decide for yourself." Koto said, turning his pendant in his fingers, "Do you subscribe to the accusation of hypocrisy or choose to prove them wrong, that your ideals aren't like that? Our world isn't that simple, sadly, and viewpoints will clash and argue all the time. And sometimes it might not even be with people we call "enemies", it can happen to friends as well."

"Yeah…" Hibiki said, giving a nod.

"And look, when you get back, don't try to _not_ let the others worry. They're your friends, it's kinda their job to be concerned for your wellbeing, alright?" Koto leaned forward a bit and put a hand on Hibiki's head, "Like I said, it's fine to be selfless, but you can be a bit selfish every now and then too. It's why having friends is a good thing… they're people who you can be selfish _for,_ and have it be in a good way."

"Be selfish in a good way?" Hibiki's confused statement was true in it, the statement itself was downright contradictory to hear, Koto chuckling as he pulled his arm back.

"Yeup." Koto nodded, Hibiki giving a hum as she looked to the side, and a wistful, sad smile came to his face, _"This girl needs more time… this world really can be cruel."_

* * *

 _ **The night before**_

"What is this?"

Tsubasa's confused question came as she, Kyomei, and Koto looked at a small, odd sort of rock in a petri dish Kyomei was holding, yellow colored crystals marking it, Genjuuro holding what was clearly an x-ray panel in one hand.

"Part of Hibiki's body tissue that we collected during her medical checkup." Genjuuro stated, Kyomei looking at him with a raised brow.

"Huh?" Kyomei murmured, Genjuuro lifting the x-ray up to the shifted viewing panel, bringing to view what it was: a scan of Hibiki's torso, dark, gnarled "veins" visible across her body, the darkest portion directly in the middle of the chest.

"The Gungnir fragments?" Koto asked, Genjuuro nodding, his expression grimly stoic.

"Her repeated use of the Relic by breaking it into energy and reconstructing it as her Symphogear has caused it to further spread throughout her body." Genjuuro said, a second x-ray he brought up being a much earlier one, one that showed a similar occurrence, but far less severe.

"The fusion of human body and Relic." Koto let out an annoyed scoff as he looked to the side, Genjuuro lowering the x-rays.

"That is the source of the explosive power wielded by Hibiki, surpassing that of any mere Harmonic." Genjuuro said, his tone unchanging, but the three veterans could feel how the man was worried behind it.

"What kind of effect will this fusion have on her body?" Tsubasa voiced the question all three wanted to ask, Genjuuro giving a sigh, clearly choosing not to look at the three Symphogears.

"It'll kill her before too long." Genjuuro's statement was simply that, no additions, nothing more, the short phrase sending a shock wave through the three veterans, Tsubasa visibly shaking while Kyomei could only fall back into the seats, Koto's expression turning grim and stoic.

"Tachibana's going to die… that can't be!" Tsubasa gasped, a shudder moving through her at the thought.

"Even if she lives, should the Relic continue to fuse with her body, can we say she still lives on as a human?" Genjuuro's brow furrowed, and from it, the tenseness the man's body took on showed he was just as shaken by it. Either Hibiki were to die, or she'd cease to be human completely. "How ironic. It was only because she went berserk that we found out her life was in grave danger."

"Hibiki's broken, like the moon." Koto murmured, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth, a hand clenching into a tight fist, Kyomei seeing it as the only show of his frustration, Koto being the one out of all of them who had the highest right to be feeling so. After all, it was the shards of Kanade's Gungnir that was the source of this.

"FIS may make grand promises to save the world from the fall of the moon, but they are using the Noise to endanger human lives, we can't just let them do as they please, but…" Genjuuro's right hand also clenched into a fist, the shuddering showing he too was feeling frustrated, "Without Hibiki, how much can we do to stop them?"

"I can think of a few things." Koto murmured.

"Either way… we can't let Tachibana fight anymore." Tsubasa said, staring at the stone now in her hands, "Any threats that come our way will meet the point of my sentinel's sword."

"Tsubasa…" Kyomei murmured, a hand balling and then slamming into the seat, _"What else_ can _we do? You and I both know we can't stop her from fighting… so what do we do? How do we save her? Is it even possible for us to do that?"_

* * *

 _ **Lydian Academy**_

"I'm so sorry!" Hibiki's cheery greeting was met to the other four 2nd Division Gear Users, the group gathered at the front of the school between periods, Hibiki taking a small bow, "I bet you guys were worried sick!"

"Some more than most." Ritsudo stated, folding his arms as he leaned against the nearby railing.

"You look pretty healthy though." Chris said, "You should take the chance to get some rest though."

"Never fear! I'm Tachibana Hibiki! Lazing around and spacing out are my specialties!" Hibiki took a playful twirl, giggling as she held a finger up, "Leave it to me!"

"I feel a bit sorry for Kohinata." Ritsudo mused, though the amused grin fell when the grim mood around Tsubasa came around.

"Are you _really_ all right?" Tsubasa asked, Kyomei looking at her with a somewhat concerned expression, "You're not just putting on a brave face so we won't worry, right?"

"Eh? No, of course n-" The drop in Hibiki's tone to a more nervous one was notable, Tsubasa stepping forward and grabbing the girl by the arm as she looked her over, "Tsubasa-san, you're hurting me."

"Oh." Tsubasa released Hibiki and stepped back, looking a bit surprised with herself, "Sorry."

"Is something up?" Ritsudo asked, stepping off the railing.

"You're not just being a dope to try and get on her wavelength are you, Tsubasa?" Chris posed, leaning into view of the older Gear user.

"I'm sorry." Hibiki murmured.

"I don't think you need to apologize." Ritsudo added.

"Yeah. What matters is that you're okay, nothing else." Kyomei said, though from the look on his face, one could catch on he wasn't telling everything he knew.

"Hey, did that geezer tell you something?" Chris looked between the two seniors, and while Kyomei opened his mouth, Tsubasa spoke first.

"Only that those who cannot maintain their self-control against their toughest foes are worthless as warriors." Tsubasa's tone was cold, Hibiki's eyes going wide as her expression clearly became one of hurt, Kyomei staring at Tsubasa in shock, "I'm telling you never to set foot on the battlefield again. You're just a burden. You may clothe yourself in Symphogear no longer!"

"Hey, the hell are you…"

"Tsubasa, enough!" The shout from Kyomei rendered Ritsudo silent as he stepped forward, Tsubasa gasping as Kyomei grabbed her by the wrist, and the expression on Kyomei's face was one none of them thought he'd have… it was anger, annoyance flashing in his eyes as they shifted into a small glare aimed at Tsubasa, "We need to go talk. _Now."_

"Well _that_ was weird." Chris remarked, Kyomei pulling Tsubasa off, the idol showing a surprised expression from the sudden take of action, "What the heck got into her huh?"

"Something's up." Ritsudo sighed heavily, putting a hand behind his head, "This is the worst."

"No, it's okay." Hibiki grabbed one of her arms, looking at the ground with a downtrodden look, "Maybe Tsubasa-san is right. I really did go out of control… maybe I am just useless."

"No, you're not." Ritsudo said, pocketing his hands, "Whatever happened wasn't your fault. It was something to do with the Relic going out of control. Don't beat yourself up over it like that. You're a valuable member of our team, don't call yourself useless."

" _You're the heart of this team Hibiki…"_

"Heh… you're about as important to us, Ritsu." Hibiki remarked so quietly, Ritsudo and Chris raising a brow at the sound, Hibiki looking up with a grin back on, but it was obviously on the forced side, "Nothing! Ehehe, I better get back to class soon, or Miku's gonna be mad. I'll see you guys later!"

"And she's being odd too. Man, what the hell?" Chris folded her arms as she sighed, looking to Ritsudo as he let out another sigh, "So what do you think?"

"Everyone's just a mess right now." Ritsudo muttered, _"And I'm about to make things worse…"_

"Damn right. Seriously, it's all too weird. We should focus on finding Ver and the Staff at the very least." Chris said, Ritsudo nodding, a hand resting on his headphones.

"Hey… Chris, can we talk about something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well… it's kind of something important." Ritsudo said, one hand balling into a fight fist, _"I am going to hate myself for this one…"_

* * *

"Kyomei, hold on!" Tsubasa spoke out to Kyomei yanking her along, the young man stopping once they were well away from the others, Tsubasa pulling her hand back, rubbing her wrist as Kyomei kept his back to her, "Why did you do that?"

"You went to far." Kyomei said, his hands curling into fists, "You didn't have to be so cold to Hibiki like that."

"We can't let her fight again. You know that." Tsubasa looked away as Kyomei turned to her, the young man giving a grumble.

"You and I both know we can't stop her. Hibiki will fight again no matter what, it's how she is… she doesn't care about the risks it would pose to herself… as suicidal as that mindset is." Kyomei let out a sigh, Tsubasa still not looking at his straightly.

"That's why we need to keep her off the battlefield. As long as she doesn't use her Symphogear again…"

"Tsubasa, that won't be enough!" Kyomei's voice actually picked up in volume, and it was like a shock went through Tsubasa from it, "We can't just stand by and not do something! Forcing Hibiki not to fight won't work, and being _that_ cold won't do anything but make it worse! It's not a proper solution! I may not get people easily, but she's our friend, you shouldn't do that to her!"

"I know!" Tsubasa shouted, Kyomei catching himself as Tsubasa grabbed her arms, the tightness of her grip betraying that the girl was trying to keep her composure, "But what else am I supposed to do? What else _can_ I do but keep her away from battle?"

"That's why we need to figure something out… something different." Kyomei let out a sigh, and he let out a gasp when Tsubasa rushed forward and pulled him into a hug, and it didn't take long for him to find out through the shudders running through her she was trying to resist sobbing, "Tsubasa…"

"I'm scared… I don't want it to happen again." Tsubasa's arms wrapped tightly around Kyomei as she spoke, the boy returning the embrace as she buried her face into his shoulder, "I can't, I can't lose another friend!"

"And we won't. I promise… something will happen, I can just tell." Kyomei said, moving one hand to the back of Tsubasa's head, "You're strong Tsubasa, but you're still only human. I know you're worried, but you can't let that worry make you hurt the people you care about."

"I don't know what else I can do though… how can I… how can _we_ stop this?"

"I really don't know." Kyomei replied, "It may not even be down to us to solve this problem… we may have to leave it to Hibiki herself."

"Maybe." Tsubasa's shudders slowed down, but she kept a tight hold on Kyomei despite it, "Is there really nothing we can do Kyomei? Do we just have to stand by and watch _again?"_

"We may not have a choice in the matter." Kyomei said, putting his hands on Tsubasa's shoulders and looking her in the face, "But I _promise,_ I'll look for something. Koto may have some ideas too… even if we can't stop Hibiki from fighting, I won't believe there isn't a way we can save her. Maybe even Ritsudo could help… his Relic was able to stop that berserk state, who knows what else it could do?"

"Yeah…" Tsubasa murmured, "I'm actually still mystified about that. How _did_ the Kusanagi even do that? Could it always do that?"

"I'm really not sure… but, like I said, we can't just let ourselves stop there. There _has_ to be a way to save her… I don't want to lose one of my friends again either… which is _exactly_ why we can't ascribe to the thought of losing Hibiki just yet."

"You're right… you're completely right." Tsubasa let out a small chuckle as she wiped off her eyes, looking at Kyomei with a gentle smile, "You know, this is the first time you've ever raised your voice. It was pretty surprising."

"Uh… well… y'know." Kyomei's face turned bright red as his hands slipped off Tsubasa's shoulders, the boy coughing into a hand, "It was sort of this spur of the moment happening."

"Hmhmhm. Well, you being more assertive is nice." Tsubasa said, taking Kyomei's other hand, her expression falling again, "I just hope you're right."

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about huh?" Chris didn't really get the point of Ritsudo having taken her to the roof of the school (in fact they weren't even supposed to be up there) to talk, though it didn't take much to guess from the way Ritsudo sighed as he turned around what he wanted to say was dead serious, "Ritsu, something up?"

"Chris, before I say anything, I want to apologize… because what I'm about to say is incredibly cruel."

"Ehhh? Why are you being all dramatic?"

"I'm going to be blunt about it… Chris, I know how you feel about me." Ritsudo's curt way of saying it got Chris to pause, Ritsudo pocketing his hands, "Honestly I'd have to be the biggest idiot on the planet if I couldn't tell. You've made it loud and clear how you feel, so, believe me when I say I've gotten the message."

"What? T-The heck are you going on about?" Chris's stilted chuckle was clearly the tone of someone feigning ignorance, and the girl wanted to kick herself for it as her face became a tinge red, "You must have the wrong idea or somethin', I mean, I like you yeah but not _that_ much y'know? Ehe… hehehe…"

"But, I can't respond to those feelings." The next words out of Ritsudo's mouth were like this knife through the air. Chris's attempt at playing it off froze dead, and she looked over to see Ritsudo's expression was simply, sad. His brow had drooped and his mouth was a flat line, betraying the downtrodden emotions coming from him, "I realized that I really haven't come as far as I've tried to. That I don't know enough about myself to say I _can_ do something like that."

Chris's stunned mind quickly went back to the festival, to that song. She couldn't get the image of it out of her face. Nothing Ritsudo was saying made sense to her when she thought of it like that.

"But you… how could…" The sentence wouldn't even properly leave Chris's mouth, a sad smile coming to Ritsudo's face as he looked to the clouds.

"You could say that song was my first real step, the first point past zero for me." Ritsudo said, looking back to Chris, "I didn't even have it in me to try and find what was right… but I can't stop, if I want to become a "me" I can be proud of… I have to keep going forward. But that means that, with how I am right now, I can't answer your feelings honestly Chris. And I don't want to do that to you."

"Yet this is happening…" Chris' hands bunched at the hem of her skirt, the downward direction of her head clearly to hide her expression, Ritsudo nodding.

"Yeah… I did say I was going to say something cruel… and, again, I'm sorry for it, but… I don't want to feel like I'm stringing you along by keeping quiet." Ritsudo sighed again, already feeling a sense of guilt creeping up him as Chris' hands kept clenching and unclenching, "I'd rather be full disclosure and tell you how it is right now… I honestly don't know how long it'll take me to sort this out with myself, but… I don't want to hurt you in a worse way by _not_ laying this out."

"Hmm." Chris merely nodded again, still looking down, but Ritsudo could see a few drops fall from her face, and his hands tightened in his pockets while his jaw tensed for a moment, a sigh passing between his lips again, and he stopped himself when he took a step forward, shaking his head.

"Chris, you're important to me, please understand that." He knew it likely wouldn't ease this blow, but, he felt it had to be said, "If there was a way I could go about this that wasn't so… unpleasant, please believe I would have tried to do so… but, there isn't. I honestly hope you'll forgive me for doing something like this… but, if I want to move forward, if I want to be able to give you an honest answer… then I felt like I had to. Even if it was cruel, even if it hurt, even if it made me feel terrible. It's how people grow… experience, living… you can't make happy memories without there being some painful ones… I just hate the fact I have the be the source of something like that, for both of us."

"Yeah…" was the only word Chris felt like she could get out, Ritsudo nodding, taking his first step forward and past Chris, raising his hood as he neared the door, the girl not turning around, Ritsudo stopping as he opened the door.

"Chris, again, I'm sorry… I care about you, a lot… I just wish I could've told you about this without it being so painful… but I guess that's our fault as humans… we feel pain even when we're not actually injured… and that kind of pain can even be self-inflicted." Ritsudo sighed again, looking back up at the passing clouds, "Honestly, I wish life could be as easy as it is in fairy tales sometimes. Maybe we'd all have it easier."

 _Clack_

The door shut without a word from Chris to follow it, and a shuddering breath finally escaped Chris's mouth as her entire body shook, more tears falling to the ground before she quickly moved to wipe them away.

"Jerk… it's not fair if it hurts you just as much!" Chris let out a hiss as her arms slipped down limp, a grimace on her face as tears again welled at her eyes, "So why am I even crying right now?"

* * *

 _ **FIS VTOL**_

The sound of soft singing stirred Natassja from slumber, the woman turning her head to the side, viewing Maria sitting off to the side, her gentle voice carrying through the room, Oratorio with his head on Maria's lap, in a gentle sleep of his own, Natassja feeling a small grin spread on her face.

" _They're good children. And it's not just them. I'm trying to make all these gentle children carry my cross."_ Natassja let out a breath and listened closely to Maria's voice a moment more, thoughts stirring on past events as she sat up, _"Maybe I am in the wrong."_

Maria's singing slowed to a stop when the call line buzzed, Oratorio instantly shooting away and sitting up without warning, both turning to Natassja as she cleared her throat.

"It's me." Natassja answered, the scrambling sounds of Kirika and Skalla coming through.

" _C-Could that be… could that be mom?!"_ Kirika gasped.

" _You're awake?! Are you feeling better?!"_ Skalla shouted, a small chuckle leaving Natassja's mouth.

"Thanks to Maria and Oratorio's care, I was able to get through the worst of it."

" _That's good."_ Shirabe answered next, and one could hear a mutter from her, _"Sui-kun, you can put the tablet down."_

* * *

"I will once I get through all of this data… geez, how many secret projects did Ver have?" Suiv let out a sigh as he kept flicking through the open files on the tablet in his hands, he and the other three younger FIS kids proceeding through one of the still under repair segments of the city.

"But, it's good you're okay, mom." Skalla said, "Oh, yeah, Suiv got into the doctors files, so, we should be able to take care of you ourselves now!"

" _He did?"_ Natassja asked, Suiv giving a nod.

"Yeah. I cracked the encryption Ver was keeping on his files, there's quite a bit." Suiv said, raising a brow when he came to a certain file, "The heck is this?"

"A-Anyway, mom, I know you said we should stand by, but we ended up, well…" Kirika said, Skalla clearing his throat.

"We're trying to find Ver so we can retrieve the Staff of Solomon from him. Then uh… what else do we need to do?" Skalla put a hand on his chin, giving a hum.

"Find the Nephilim's heart." Shirabe said.

"Right!"

" _I understand. Mara and Oratorio's orders, right?"_ Natassja asked, the four teens stopping.

"Well… more like Suiv's idea." Skalla said, a chuckle coming from him.

"We haven't been able to get in touch with the doctor, so we're searching areas he could be hiding in." Shirabe said, "Sui-kun worries he might cause trouble if we don't find him."

"It's not a worry Shirabe." Suiv said, almost like he was denying the idea of possibly being concerned about people, the pouting look Shirabe was giving him making him look away, "Cut that out."

"You need to be more honest sometimes." Shirabe said, Suiv just giving a scoff as he adjusted his glasses.

" _Thank you, all of you."_ Natassja responded, _"Contact us if you find the doctor. I'll send you the rendezvous point."_

"Roger!" Kirika and Skalla said, the line cutting off, Suiv still mulling over whatever file he was reading.

"Uh, I never thought she'd answer!" Kirika sighed as the call ended, Skalla nodding.

"Yeah, that was a bit surprising… still, mom seemed a bit, calmer, don't ya think?" Skalla and Kirika both hummed in thought about it.

"I'm glad she's alright though." Shirabe said, poking Suiv in the side as he was muttering to himself, "Sui-kun, put it down!"

"Don't poke me!" Suiv hissed a bit as he held his side, then the growling noises, Kirika showing a light flush of embarrassment while Skalla just hummed.

"Huh, guess the snacks about wore off." Skalla noted, looking around at the shops.

"Oops, the moment I calmed down I realized how hungry I was too!" Kirika said, putting a hand behind her head, Shirabe poking Suiv again when he went back to looking at the tablet, the bespectacled boy grumbling as he held the spot.

"We haven't had anything to eat since this morning." Shirabe said, all of them looking around.

"I doubt any of the places in this part of town have anything. We'd have to do some looking." Suiv noted, slipping the tablet into the bag he had with him.

"But we have to find the doctor as quickly as we can." Shirabe pointed out, Suiv nodding.

"Ahh come on, we can take a bit of a break." Skalla said, another growl coming from his stomach that made him falter a bit, "Besides I don't think I can keep looking when I'm this hungry. But, I can endure!"

"Yeah, all right, let's do this!" Kirika called grabbing both Shirabe and Skalla by the hand, Skalla letting out a surprised sound as he was pulled off into the trot, Suiv sighing and adjusting his glasses as he followed along.

"We don't need to run!" Suiv called out, _"But what was that file? A LiNKER strain using Nephilim genes? What the hell was Ver trying to do?"_

* * *

"Man that stuff was the best! Who knew there was such a good place to eat there huh?"

"Well you can think Miku and Hibiki for finding it."

"Yeah, but aren't you eating too many carbs for a young high school girl?"

Ritsudo was a bit surprised by the gathering he founds himself in, a group made up of his school friends as well as Hibiki's, though Ritsudo was sticking a bit to the back of the chatty group, his hood still up, but HIbiki was also in a glum mood of her own, not even noticing that the question from her friends was towards her for a moment as the group headed down the stair way of the park.

"Huh?" Hibiki hummed, looking back, "Oh, yeah. That old lady just makes the best okonomiyaki though, I just can't help it."

"I'm surprised the place is running considering where it is, but, hey, persistence right?" Kiragi chuckled, sliding down the hand rails.

"Yeah though our goal didn't really seem to work out much." Ichiro said, grabbing Kiragi off of the rails, "Come on man, that's dangerous.

"Ahh boo you, it's fun!"

"And what goal?" Ritsudo asked, catching up to his group as Hibiki's friends continued chatting amongst themselves, "And how did you guys even meet them?"

"Ah, well, we met them at the festival after the concert and just kinda hit it off." Tohma said, Kiragi nodding.

"Yup. It was kind of like "Hey, our friends is also a friend of your friend, so we should hang", something like that. And now we arrive at today!" Kiragi stated, Ichiro giving a chuckle.

"I was too nervous to say anything though. I'm not good with girls." Ichiro said, giving a sigh, Ritsudo giving an amused chuckle. "And we invited you along because, well, we hoped it'd cheer you up. Itama, Andou, and Terashima suggested the idea to us when they thought of getting Tachibana on board… Kohinata didn't really say much though."

"I can imagine why." Ritsudo said.

"You just ended up being really glum today, so, hey, we figured we may as well bring you along to something fun to cheer ya' up." Kiragi said, the group of students getting close to the street.

"Hehe, well, I can say it worked a bit." Ritsudo chuckled, looking down the steps to Hibiki, _"She's still bothered by earlier though, isn't she?"_

"So hey, what even happened that got you in such a mood?" Kiragi asked, Ritsudo sighing.

"Just… had to lay some things out is all… granted I feel like the biggest ass in the world for having to do it." Ritsudo said, shoving his hands into his pockets, "But, I hope it's something that'll help in the long run either way."

The rather light mood was broken however, when cars came screaming down the road, Ritsudo and Hibiki noting that the drivers were clearly agents, the three cars careening around the bend… only for an explosion to come out seconds later.

"What the hell?" Ritsudo muttered, the group then rushing ahead towards the source, Hibiki and Ritsudo in the lead, the sight that they were met with being the burning ruins of the vehicles and piles of ash, Noise standing in the street with Ver behind them, the man looking completely deranged and almost wild in appearance, one arm cradling a wrapped object.

"Ehehehehe, I won't hand this over to anyone. No matter who it is!" Ver chuckled, the Staff aimed forward, Ritsudo giving a growl at the sight of the man.

"Really, _now?"_ Ritsudo let out the growl, his eyes glaring under the brim of his hood, Hibiki giving her own glare to the man, Ver noticing the two at last and going to a shocked look.

"Wh-what?! Why are you here?!" Ver gasped, Ritsudo showing a smirk along with the unshifted glare.

"Oh look, you remember what happened last time." Ritsudo noted, his pendant's chain dropping from his hand, and his smirk fell as Ver sent a Noise his and Hibiki's way, Ritsudo moving his hand in a slashing motion, Kusanagi bursting into form in his hand and sliching the Noise in two, the ash falling to the ground past him, and the glare Ritsudo was giving Ver was nothing short of murderous now as he stood up and pointed the sword at him, all but Miku and Hibiki gasping at the sight of it, "Look here Ver, I am _not_ in the mood for this… but don't you _dare_ put my friends in danger, you got that?!"

"Ahhhhh!" Ver only screamed as he sent another Noise at the group, Hibiki shooting forward instead as Ritsudo got ready to attack again.

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_ Hibiki's voice rang the phrase out, but her fist collided with the Noise first, Ritsudo's eyes widening as the contact did nothing, Ver screaming again at the sight of it.

"She touched the Noise without transforming?!" Ver gasped, Ritsudo not giving time to think on it before he himself called his own activation phrase as Hibiki's gear formed in a flash of light, the Noise bursting into ash once it was formed, Ritsudo sending a burst of wind through the air that cut down the remaining Noise.

"What the…"

"Ritsudo?!"

"Sorry guys… but I couldn't tell you about this. I promise, I'll explain everything." Ritsudo turned to his friends behind him, a sad look on his face, turning back into a glare once he turned to Ver and lifted his sword, "But after we deal with this guy!"

"This fist… my life… they _are_ Symphogear!" Hibiki called, "Ritsu, let's go!"

"Right. Besides… I need to express a bit of rage." Ritsudo said, two Symphogears standing there now, unveiled to even those they were hidden from, _"If only life really was a fairy tale…"_

 _ **To be continued**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well first off, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! This chapter was a bit hard to write though, but, progress! Things will surely shift from here on! See ya' next time!**


	27. G Stanza XI

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza XI: Rivelazione**

 _ **Second Division HQ**_

"Update! The pursuit squad has reported in!"

"We've detected the emergence of more Noise. I fear the worst!"

Genjuuro gave a mutter as the reports came in, turning to the main screen with a stern look.

"Send in Tsubasa, Chris, Kyomei, Koto, and Ritsudo!" Genjuuro ordered, "We must capture the bearer of the Staff of Solomon!"

"Wait, we're detecting two high energy waveforms distinct from the Noise!"

The unknown patterns appeared on screen, though from the golden and sky blue colors, it was already close to registering in Genjuuro's mind as the patterns began forming, the alert sounded: Gungnir and Kusanagi.

"The Gungnir…" Genjuuro murmured, his shocked look then turning to a more stoic one, "But… if Ritsudo is there as well… perhaps…"

* * *

Hibiki's body began glowing, but added to it, Ritsudo could feel _heat_ coming off of her, intense enough a drifting leaf burst into flames just from grazing her, Ritsudo glancing at Hibiki with a surprised expression on.

" _What the heck is with that?"_ Ritsudo's confusion was further compouned by the twinges coming from Kusanagi, almost like a warning signal was going off in his head.

"Why must you interfere with my plans at every turn?! You'll pay!" Ver screamed, loosing more Noise until a swarm was made, Ritsudo clicking his tongue as he cast aside the warning in his mind, shooting forward as Hibiki slammed a Noise with her fist, the two moving in easy synch with each other's movements as they shot through the swarm of Noise, shooting up through the cloud of ashes and continuing towards Ver, their friends stuck watching in shock at the sight of the two in action.

"Every time, every time, every time, every time!" Ver kept screaming the phrase as he continually sent more and more Noise at the two Symphogears, Hibiki's gauntlet forming into it's larger form while energy swirled around Ritsudo's sword, the two bursting forward and blowing away the swarm in one blow, only for Ver to send out another in his panic, Ritsudo clicking his tongue.

"I hate that stupid staff! Just freaking give up!" Ritsudo snapped, leveling his sword as Hibiki raised her fist again, the two blasting through the Noise, their charge however, being stopped by a sudden object getting in their way.

"A shield?!" Hibiki gasped, though from the rapid rotations and a glance, it wasn't a shield, but a massive sawblade, just behind it being the younger FIS Gear users, Shirabe's weapons deployed to blow while Kirika helped keep them steady from holding back the impacts of the fist and sword, Suiv's hand outstretched and his daggers just behind the saw blade, matching it's rotation as violet pulses shot from the daggers.

"I saw that one coming." Shirabe said, the opposing forces just moving her back inch by inch.

"Those four?" Ritsudo muttered.

"The Shul Shagana I wield is much more versatile than it's plain looks might suggest. It is as capable in defense as it is offense." Shirabe said, looking to Suiv, "Are you good?"

"It'll hold." Suiv said.

"Even so, it's taking everything we've got to hold them back." Kirika said, gripping Shirabe's shoulders tighter, "Skalla, the doctor!"

"On it!" Skalla chirped, turning around to Ver as he spun one of his swords into a reverse hold, Ver stepping back as Skalla chuckled, "Sorry, but don't think we showed up just to save you!"

"Hurry it up Skalla. If we could find him, than so could these two's friends." Suiv said, Skalla clicking his tongue as he spun his swords.

"Yeah yeah, I got it!"

"W-What are you doing?!" Ver snapped, Skalla snickering.

"Don't worry, you'll only be left with one _killer_ headache!"

With a resounding _clang,_ Skalla struck his blades together, sending out a golden pulse that went right to Ver the man letting out a scream as it rocked him, dropping the Staff and the bundle in his other hand as he gripped his head, Skalla clanging the swords together one more time to make the man fall to the ground, Ver going limp, showing whatever had happened, it had caused him to fall unconscious.

"Yeesh, whenever that happens to a Gear user they just get woozy. Never knocked out an actual person with it before." Skalla whistled as he set his twin blades onto small holders at his waist, Ritsudo and Hibiki backing off from surprise, the set up defense retreating, Skall twirling around, "He's out cold Suiv, we ready to go?"

"Be sure to get the Staff and the Heart too." Suiv said, turning to Ritsudo and Hibiki as Skalla and Kirika hefted the unconscious Ver up, Shirabe picking up the Staff and bundle, "Sorry about the trouble, but we'll be dealing with our own mess, thank you very much."

"Wait, what the hell is going on, I thought he was on your side!" Ritsudo snapped, Skalla giving a scoff.

"He _was!_ But this guy is freaking crazy!" Skalla said, Kirika nodding, making a point to slug the unconscious doctor for good effort.

"He keeps stepping out of line and doing stupid things too!" Kirika added, Suiv sighing.

"Chill you two, we still need him alive, if only for a few reasons." Suiv said, putting a hand to his headset, "Oratorio, Maria, we have the doctor and what he was carrying, we're ready for pickup."

"Wait a moment! What are you guys trying to do?" Hibiki asked, starting to pant a bit, the glow around her body, and the one shining from her scar, getting more intense.

"Those are answers for another time." Suiv stated, taking the bundle Shirabe had and bouncing it a bit, "This is definitely the Heart. Makes things a bit easier."

"The Heart? The hell is that?!" Ritsudo snapped.

"The Nephilim's Heart. It's the core of that creature you fought before." Suiv said, placing the bundle under his arms, and when Hibiki stepped forward, the four FIS kids retreated backwards, though Hibiki's next step faltered as she clutched at her chest, falling to her knees as pained gaps began escaping from her.

"What the… Hibiki?" Ritsudo moved to try and help, but the moment his hand got close, he reeled back from the intense heat of her body scorching the surface of his hand, the surface of his Symphogear keeping any actual damage from happening, "Ow! The shit?! She's burning like a bonfire!"

"The hell is up with her?" Skalla asked, Suiv adjusting his glasses as he gave a huff.

"Not our problem. Let's go." Suiv said, the other three nodding, the group jumping off to the roofs.

"HEY! Don't freaking run!" Ritsudo shouted, clicking his tongue once the four FIS kids were out of sigh, reverting Kusanagi to a smaller form and locking the blade to his gauntlet, turning back to Hibiki as her breaths became stilted gasps for air, "Hibiki, what's happening?"

" _Ritsudo!"_

"Boss?" Ritsudo put a hand to his headset as Genjuuro's voice came through, "Boss, the hell is going on with Hibiki?!"

" _I'll answer that later! The others are rushing towards the scene right now, but can you try to do something?"_

"Do _what?_ I can't even touch her right now, she's burning like a… fire…" Ritsudo's hands lowered as the realization hit him, looking up to the nearby water tower and back to Hibiki, who was almost perfectly placed, "I've got an idea actually."

"Ngh… gaagh!" Hibiki let out a scream as the glow around her intensified, Ritsudo clicking his tongue as he brought his sword back out, though as he was about to leap, he felt a twinge.

"I know it sounds dumb, but, hey, logic! You put out a fire with water, so it might work!" Ritsudo said, wincing as the heat from Hibiki only got _worse,_ now he could feel it even feet from her, and his eyes widened when it looked like _crystals_ were coming out of Hibiki's chest now, "The hell is even going on?!"

"Hibiki?!" Miku's voice got Ritsudo to look to the side, the girl's rush forward only being stopped when she felt the searing heat, "No, Hibiki!"

"Kohinata stay back!" Ritsudo shouted, Chris coming down from above and grabbing the girl.

"Are nuts?! You'll sear the skin off yourself if you get close!" Chris snapped, Koto dropping from above too, wincing himself when he felt the heat.

"Not good. Ritsudo, do you have an idea?" Koto asked, Ritsudo nodding.

"Getting to it!" Ritsudo said, his scarf flaring out into it's wing form, the boy shooting up into the air and bursting past the water tower, a clean cut showing on it's side, the water dropping down in a torrent onto Hibiki, steam spreading through the air, Chris keeping Miku held back, Ritsudo landing with a swipe of his blade, at that same time, Tsubasa came rearing in on her motorcycle, Kyomei hanging on for dear life as the idol jumped off, nearly tearing her helmet off of her head.

"Can we maybe not drive like that through traffic again?!" Kyomei muttered, almost falling off the bike as Tsubasa rushed through the steam, a tense look on her face.

"Did I fail at protecting her?" Tsubasa muttered, Kyomei and Koto both showing downtrodden expressions, Ritsudo and Chris looking between the three seniors with confused looks.

"Fail in protecting her? The hell, did you _know_ this would happen to her?!" Chris snapped, running up to Tsubasa, looking to Koto and Kyomei as they looked away. "Hey! Come on, say something?!"

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?" Ritsudo couldn't help but kick a bit of debris in frustration, Miku by the unconscious and drenched Hibiki, the sound of chopper blades overhead rendering a silence among the group below.

* * *

"How long till he wakes up?"

"I'unno. I've never used Gada's sound waves to knock someone out until now."

"If it was only enough to knock him out then it shouldn't be much longer."

The FIS Tuners were all overlooking the now restrained but still out cold Ver kept in one of the VTOLs holding cells, Oratorio leaning back against the wall while Suiv and Skalla were seated on empty crates, and when Ver finally began to stir awake, Oratorio let out a small huff as the doctor looked around in a daze for a moment.

"What the… where… huh?! Why am I…" Ver's eyes widened as he saw the cuffs on both his wrists and ankles, the doctor looking to the Tuner trio, "What's going on?! Why am I restrained like this?!"

"Well you're not exactly a member of the crew any more, not after _that_ stunt." Oratorio said, stepping forward and looking down at Ver, "Honestly I think you're luckier Suiv didn't just decide to throw you to the wolves."

"Huh?! But weren't you looking for me to…"

"We were looking for you because you possessing the Staff of Solomon is a danger to more than just our objective enemies and the fact you had the Heart with you." Suiv said, "Oratorio told us about how you tried to kill civilians, so we're not letting the Staff near you again, and we have the Heart stowed away safely."

"Those aren't enough!" Ver snapped, his tone aggravated, "Don't you get it, you still need me if you want to raise Frontier!"

"Yeah, not really." Suiv said, flashing the thumb drive he'd shown the others before, "This has all of your research data on it. Everything from information about the Nephilim, the Shen Shou Jing we also have, and what you know about Frontier. Not to mention, a particularly tricky encryption on making LiNKER."

"Is that why we still need him?" Skalla asked, "Frankly, I'm with Oratorio's idea of just letting those 2nd Div. people have him!"

"As appealing as getting him out of our hair _is,_ he has a _small_ point when he says we still need him around." Suiv added, Skalla raising a brow while Oratorio just glared at Ver when the man showed a wild grin, Suiv reaching into his pocket and pulling out two vials of green fluid, LiNKER. "This is an improved variant if I'm right. I wanna know how to make this stuff so those of us who need it…" Oratorio looked a bit guilty at the statement, "can fight longer and use more power without risk of drawback."

"That's the exact _reason_ I produced that LiNKER! But what about the old woman huh?! You still need me if you want to keep her stable!" Ver snapped, and at that, he got three glares shot at him, the man shrieking as he retreated to the back of the cell.

"Really? We know what you were doing to her Ver!" Oratorio snapped, slamming his fist on the door of the cell, "Suiv said it was in small amounts after he took a look of his own, just enough to make _sure_ we'd have to keep you around as a crutch to keep her alive."

"W-What are you talking about? I haven't done a thing to Natassja!" Ver's denial was only held back by the way his voice suddenly wavered, Oratorio's glare becoming even more intense, Ver letting out a terrified, shrill noise as he tried to pull back more.

"God he's pathetic." Skalla grumbled, putting his arms behind his head, "He's all crazy and loud when he's on top of things, but yank him down a bit and he freaks out! Lame!"

"Ver, let me put it this way." Suiv hopped off of the crate and slipped the vials back into his pocket, Oratorio stepping back as the dark haired boy stepped in front of the door, "Right now, you have _two_ options: You choose not to cooperate with us, and we toss you back out there and let the 2nd Division pick you up, where the odds are you'll be thrown into a maximum security prison for the rest of your life. _Or,_ you work with us to raise the Frontier and stop the moon from falling and… I dunno, be praised as one of the heroes who saved the world."

At that very phrase, or, more upon the word "hero", Ver's entire attitude changed as he scrambled towards the door, Oratorio and Skalla looking at each other as Suiv kept his calm demeanor on, though one could see the crack of a small smirk.

"Precisely! Like I said, you still need me around to raise Frontier!" Ver said, Suiv nodding.

"Maybe. If you cooperate with us, then you'll get that. All I want is the file on LiNKER and the knowledge on how to produce it. Then you can be back on board with our plans... albeit on a bit of a leash. It'd be detrimental if things got out of hand." Suiv said, Ver giving a hum, Oratorio stepping forward.

"Suiv, what are you…" Oratorio stopped when Suiv held up a finger and looked at him, the boy mouthing "I've got this" to him, and Oratorio held back a bit of a chuckle as a little smile showed, the young man nodding, "Alright, I'll leave this too you."

"Huh?" Skalla raised a brow, and he noticed rather easily the change in air around Suiv, like he was suddenly a bit happier about being praised in some manner.

"What would this leash _entail?"_ Ver said, Suiv adjusting his glasses.

"Simply that you can't leave the VTOL and anything involving mom or the handling of the Staff and the Heart remains with us." Suiv said, and when Ver's expression became suspicious, Suiv showed a small smirk, "A small price to pay for being regarded as the man who helped raise humanity's salvation I say. Heroes are known for the sacrifices they make, right?"

"True, true." And suddenly Ver was at his calmer state, though there was still the hint he wasn't really all there anyway despite it, "But, when it comes to the Heart, I will need access to it. I fed it enough Relics to get it back to it's full capacity, but using it is another thing."

"Then show us how to use it as well." Suiv added, putting in an added gesture as he moved his arms, "Great technology should be shared right? And who better to show how to use it than the one who knows it best?"

" _He's definitely not being honest about any of this."_ Skalla noted upon Ver's grand laughter in reaction to it, Suiv clearly playing to the man's ego to get his idea to go along, Skalla then clearing his throat and stepping next to Suiv, "Yeah, Suiv is right. What with a great mind as yours here, it'd be a waste to _not_ share what you know with us below you on that bar, right?"

Oratorio had to move back a bit and put a hand over his mouth as Suiv and Skalla _both_ got Ver to show this overly confident type of look as their words kept appealing to his ego, Oratorio shaking his head as he hid the amused smile now present.

"Excellent!" Ver shouted, standing up, "Alright then, I'll continue to assist you under those terms! It really would be a shame not to pass on my knowledge, especially once I'm gone from this world after saving it."

And at that statement, Suiv and Skalla slapped a high five.

"Well then, we'll let you out in a minute. You should probably rest up anyway." Suiv said, the three Tuners retreating while Suiv click the button for the cuffs to drop, and as they made their way down the corridor, Skalla let out a laugh.

"Man I can't believe that worked! Hahaha, he's such a tool, but, hey it worked so good on us!" Skalla laughed, Suiv nodding.

"Men like Ver are easy to get on your side. Stroke their egos a bit, appeal to their fantasies and you can have them strewn around your little finger without problem." Suiv adjusted his glasses at the statement, a shine going across them as he gave an _intentionally_ sinister sounding chuckle, "I think I did a rather fine job starting it… even if it was venom on my tongue to say."

"Well, I think you two did just fine. If we can keep Ver in line, then we shouldn't have any other problems." Oratorio said, patting the two boys on the head, Skalla chuckling while Suiv just looked to the side with slightly pursed lips. "Alright then, let's go tell the others the news. Things seem to he shaping up for us now."

* * *

"You didn't tell this to us until now _why?!"_

Ritsudo's outraged exclamation came as Genjuuro revealed to him, Chris, and Miku the same diagram of Hibiki's encroached upon body that he had to Kyomei, Tsubasa, and Koto, Chris letting out a growl and kicking the console near her.

"Fuck this shit!" Chris snapped.

"The Relic fragments buried in Hibiki's chest are spreading throughout her body." Genjuuro said, Ritsudo feeling a hand tighten up, "If they spread much further, she will no longer be herself."

"Does that mean… they won't spread further if she doesn't fight?" Miku asked, Ritsudo glancing at the dark haired girl.

" _That's an impossible thing to ask her, and you know it."_ Ritsudo thought, giving a small sigh.

"You, Hibiki's best friend, are the strongest link she has to an ordinary life." Genjuuro responded to Miku, Ritsudo feeling something hollow to the words himself, even if he knew Genjuuro meant it… there wasn't any going back from the lives they lived after all, "I suspect her spending time with you is the only thing that can hold back the Gungnir."

"So we're just giving up, is that it?!" Ritsudo snapped, Genjuuro looking at him in actual surprise as the boy grit his teeth, "You're just going to say she's done for, that the only thing we can do is keep her from doing anything, to sit back and _watch?!_ Don't give me that crap!"

"I know, but we need more time." Genjuuro said, Ritsudo's expression not shifting, and one could see the shuddering in his body, Chris looking like she was going to say something, but holding off from it, "With the state Hibiki is in, it's best to not let her enter combat at all from this point out… not until we can find a way to fix this."

"But, I can help her?" Miku asked, Ritsudo's mouth tensing as he kept quiet, Genjuuro nodding to Miku's question.

"Please, protect her." Genjuuro said, Miku nodding, and when the teens moved to leave, Genjuuro put a hand on Ritsudo's shoulder. "Can you stay here for a moment?"

"For what?" Ritsudo asked, Genjuuro pressing a button and bringing up another frame, one with Kusanagi's wave pattern on it, the pattern akin to a flower in shape, "Kusanagi's wave pattern, What about it?"

"When you all fought that creature a few days ago, we observed something during the battle." Genjuuro said, Ritsudo lifting a brow, "When you put a stop to Hibiki and Koto's rampage with Kusanagi, something happened… but first, let me show you this."

Genjuuro pressed another key, and another wave pattern came up, a larger one that was a mix between two.

"A Synch Wave Pattern. Guessing by the pieces… this is Gungnir and Ruyi Jingu Bang's, right?" Ritsudo asked, getting a nod from Genjuuro, "Pretty complicated looking."

"It is. As you know, Synchronizing, otherwise, Overlaying, causes two Symphogear's aufwachen waves to resonate together and merge, bouncing off one another to double the power of the Synchronized pair. It's a strong power, one that can't easily be replicated, and why only certain Relics are compatible to one another." Genjuuro explained, Ritsudo nodding, but when he pressed another key, Kusanagi's wave pattern shifted, beginning to resemble the Synchronized wave pattern next to it, Ritsudo's eyes widening, "It was for a singular moment, but, Kusanagi altered its own wave pattern to match the Synchronized pattern. That's how you were able to negate the resonance and return both Hibiki and Koto to normal."

"Kusnagi can do that?" Ritsudo murmured, looking at the pendant in his hands, "H-How?"

"There's a lot more to Tuner Relics than we even know." Genjuuro stated, "Ones like Kusanagi especially. Harmonic Relics are… simple in comparison, they follow a simple set of rules… but you Tuners are different, your potential abilities are complete unknowns. Think on the fact that while, after achieving X-Drive, you were the only Symphogear to retain the ability to fly."

"What is it you're implying here?" Ritsudo said.

"The process of making a Tuner Relic is different. As receptacles for Phonic Gain they require larger fragments of a Relic to create, and not ever Relic even has the capability of being so. Whether a Relic is suited for a Tuner or Harmonic is effectively a gamble." Genjuuro explained, Ritsudo raising a brow, "And such, Tuner Relics have powers closer to their legends. Koto's Ruyi Jingu Bang, for example. As in the legend, it can infinitely change it's size while retaining it's incredible weight, as well as create copies of itself at the user's will. Kyomei's Vijaya is equally so, with far more destructive power than he displays behind it. If he wished, Kyomei could use the Brahmastra itself. For that reason, it's safe to assume your Kusanagi has abilities you're not yet aware of."

"What are you getting at boss?" Ritsudo asked, Genjuuro looking back to the two wave forms. "Wait…"

"There's a chance. It's incredibly slim, but… I believe it's possible that, with an ability like this, you can save Hibiki from the fate she has set out to her." Genjuuro said, Ritsudo's eyes widening, "But, to do that, you may very well have to destroy the Gungnir within her. All things considered… that option may actually be for the best."

"I can save her but… I'd have to destroy Gungnir, huh?" Ritsudo murmured.

"It's a possibility. There's no assurance that it can work, but…"

"No, you're right." Ritsudo said, closing his hand around his pendant, looking at the x-ray image before him, of the "organ" that was formed inside of Hibiki, "She can't keep living with that thing inside of her… it really is the better option in this case… better than letting her throw her life away."

"Which I'm afraid she would do." Genjuuro stated, "If all else fails, and Kohinata can't protect Hibiki from battle, Ritsudo, if it's possible, you may need to destroy Gungnir… if you want to keep Hibiki alive, than you may have to save her from herself."

Ritsudo only nodded to the statement, turning and leaving, sighing to himself as he proceeded down the hallway, his hands in his pockets, and as he continued down, he saw Chris leaning against the wall, staring out of the window of the lounge space, and he was about to increase his pace, but Chris stepping into his path made him stop.

"Uhm…" Ritsudo murmured, Chris pulling out her phone and showing the screen, the message on it clear in his face, "Oh… that."

"I get that… you need some space. It's just… I wanna know where you're going to be staying." Chris said, shuffling her feet a little as she lowered the phone, Ritsudo looking to the side and scratching his cheek.

"Just a hotel. I'll be fine so… don't worry. It's not that big of a deal." The terse answer was all Ritsudo felt he could muster, Chris nodding.

"Alright then." Chris said, "You have enough right? Money to get by, some clothes, other things like that?"

"Uhm… y-yeah." Ritsudo said, a confused look on his face as Chris nodded again, the girl showing a smile.

"Good, then there isn't anything to worry about. Just… come home soon, alright?" Chris said, turning on her heel, "Though… we should go check up on Hibiki. After that, she may be in bad shape, yeah?"

"Uhm… r-right." Ritsudo nodded, Chris stepping off, the boy confused by the attitude she had, "After that, I was sure she'd…"

 _Ping!_

Ritsudo pulled out his phone when it went off, the message on the screen labeled to Koto's address, Ritsudo raising a brow as he opened it with a flick.

" _Had a little talk with Chris today to clue you in. Don't be too worried, she gets it. She's a strong person. Whatever you did really just inspired her to work harder… at least after I got her to think clearly. You've done good by her as it is, so don't beat yourself up, alright?"_

"Heh… always looking out for us, aren't you senpai?"

* * *

 _ **Before the attack**_

"Hagh man… whatever went down, let's just hope the result won't be too bad."

Koto was just outside of Ritsudo and Chris's shared apartment, looking at his phone and the message from Ritsudo telling him of what he was going to do.

"I doubt it ended too badly… the question is, how did Chris react to it?"

Koto knocked on the door lightly enough to not make a sort of bother, but enough to be heard, though there wasn't really much of a reply. Testing the handle, the senior Symphogear found the door was unlocked, opening and peering into the entrance corridor of the apartment. Proceeding into the area, he found Chris sitting on the couch, clutching a pillow and staring at her phone while muttering to herself.

"So… are you moping around or is this something else?"

"Eh?! Oh… it's just you." Chris shot towards Koto in surprise, and he hummed when he saw that her eyes were red, the remaining, small wet streaks on her face telling him enough as he leaned against the wall.

"Well, that answers my question." Koto hummed, Chris tilting her head, "Soo… I'm aware that earlier today or so you and Ritsudo had a little… talk."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Chris said, Koto sighing and just giving her a stare, the girl looking away, but, she could just feel the young man's stare boring into her head as he made a low noise, the looming feeling hanging over Chris until she let out a growl, "Ahhh! Fine, alright, yeah! We… talked. And Ritsu… told me how it is with him."

"I should probably admit before anything else that this recent bout of introspection from him is on me." Koto said, Chris glancing to him as Koto took a seat, the young man leaning on his knees, "I figured it was important to ask him what kind of feelings he has towards… well, in particular, you and Hibiki. He couldn't give a straight answer, and from there, he figured out he's still got a lot about himself to figure out as well."

"Ehh… that crazy girl?" Chris muttered, Koto clearing his throat as he noted the sudden bitterness of the wording.

"That's not the point though." Koto's response got Chris to turn her glower towards him, his expression calm as he turned towards the girl, "What about you? Everyone in the 2nd Division knows… Ritsudo's the person who saved you, so it's not a surprise you're attached to him. So, what I want to know, is after that, what does that mean to _you?"_

"It… felt like a wake up call." Chris said, almost to her own surprise. She didn't like talking about how she felt, but Koto just gave off an air of being easy to talk to, especially about bothersome subjects, "It's… bizarre. Knowing somebody as lost as Ritsu is in life. Most people are sure of who they are and the kind of things they want to do and who they want to be, but… he's not. Even after everything that happened… then again, maybe I'm just weird myself."

"Well, some people just don't have the kind of self-assurance to be that aware of who they are, or have the kind of motivation to just… have it figured out from the get go." Koto said, leaning on his knees as his fingers threaded together, the blonde strands of his hair falling down to shade his eyes slightly, "For some, they almost never figure it out on their own… but other times, all it'll take is a single moment in their life to bring everything together."

"A single moment, huh?" Chris muttered, "You'd think that kind of thing would've hit him by now, but, I guess not."

"Hehe, I suppose so. But… I'm not here to talk about Ritsudo." Koto replied, an eyes shut as he looked to Chris, "I believe I asked more about how _you_ felt."

"Well… I…" Chris muttered, her face starting to go red, Koto giving her an reassuring, small grin that she could speak her mind, "I…" Chris then shoved her mouth into the pillow she was holding to muffle her voice as her face began to burn redder, Koto raising a brow.

"I can't hear you if you muffle yourself. It's something you need to say out loud." Koto said, Chris letting out a mutter, pulling the pillow down, her lips shuddering.

"I… I'm not even sure if it's what it is but I… I love him. I really do… I don't even know if it's really honest but that's what it _feels_ like." Chris said, the shudders in her body showing there was a realization in her from the honesty of the words, "And it hurt. When I heard "I can't respond to those feelings," I don't know, I just… it felt like I'd been stabbed." Chris put a hand to her chest, her fingers closing tightly around the cloth of her shirt, "The worst part is… I _get it._ He said it himself, he doesn't want to hurt me more by just keeping quiet… I know he doesn't want to do something worse… but I can't _not_ feel hurt like this! I'm not used to this kind of thing… I don't know what to do."

"You should be honest about those feelings." Koto said, Chris looking at him with tears welling in the corners of her eyes, an almost wistful expression on Koto's face, "If you really feel that way, than keep moving forward with those feelings. If you really want to be by his side that much, then you need to let him know he can think the same about you. And if Ritsudo really is lost, then step up and be a person who'll push him forward and support him until he finds what it is he's looking for when he can't keep moving forward on his own."

"Just… be honest, huh?" Chris murmured, sighing, wiping her eyes off, "You know, I'm a pretty difficult person to deal with. My temper is short, I don't like talking to people, I've been… used in few ways of the word, I don't like people touching me, and I can be really stubborn. But Ritsu… even when he had no reason to, he held a hand out to help me, when he barely even knew me, all because we Synchronized one time… no… because he saw that I needed help."

"That's the kind of person he is, from my impression." Koto said, "A person who wants to help those in need regardless of his relation to them, or if they ask."

"He told me 'I don't need a reason to want to help someone' before." Chris said, "It… was different. It was such an honest thing to hear from somebody. All my life, I'd dealt with people who wanted something, or who's reasons for dealing with me had some ulterior motive… but Ritsu, he was the first person I met who just honestly wanted to know me. He's dealt with all of my issues with a smile on his face… so, I want to return that gesture. He was there for me… so, I want to be there for him."

"Even if that means there's a chance his feelings towards you won't be the same as yours?" Koto asked, Chris looking to him again, "It's not such a cut and dry thing, you're basically going to be in a competition."

"You said move forward? Right… Ritsu said the same thing. That he has to move forward without stopping… so I… I can't sit around and do nothing if he keeps moving ahead!" Chris suddenly shot to her feet with this look of realization coming to her, "If I just sit around and wait, I'll be left behind… if I want to help him like he helped me, then I have to match his pace, right?"

"I suppose so… you could say that if Ritsudo is someone who runs ahead towards his goal, then you would have to match that. We live in a world that moves pretty quickly once it gets going… you're willing to deal with that, right?"

"I've dealt with a lot… trailing after my dumb best friend is nothing!" Koto could tell that behind it, there was likely more that Chris wanted to say, but, it was clear if she _did_ say it, it could possibly be she was taking this case the wrong way, "It's not like I feel indebted to him… it's just that like Ritsu did for me, I want to help him where he needs it."

"It's not a bad idea, do whatever you feel is best, just so long as you're being honest. It'll work out for you, I bet." Koto said, giving a chuckle, and Chris snickered herself, and that was when the tone of their communicators went off…

* * *

 ** _Present_**

"Hahaha, Japanese bargain stores are the best! They know how to cut deals here on some good stuff!" Skalla cheered as he, Kirika, and Shirabe stepped out of the market they'd found near the touchdown point, hefting multiple bags of groceries over his head as the trio moved out into the rather sparsely populated parking lot.

"Having fun shopping is one thing, but lugging all the bags back is another." Kirika said, "Well… is what I would say if Skalla wasn't here."

"Hehehe, proud to be of help!" Skalla said, again lifting the bags over his head, "I mean, a lot of this stuff isn't _that_ heavy, but it is quite a bit. Besides, Tuner's gotta be strong after all, we can use our Armed Gear outside of our armors."

"I'm so jealous of that! I wish I could do that too! You Tuner's get all the cool gimmicks." Kirika said, Skalla chuckling while Shirabe leaned into view.

"Kiri-chan, Harmonics have some things Tuners don't either. And of anything, having them around makes using those abilities easier." Shirabe pointe dout, "Skal-kun and Sui-kun can make sure that if we use our Sawn Songs, it won't end badly."

"Though that theory is kind of untested. For an obvious reason." Skalla pointed out, the girls nodding.

"Yeah… but why are we doing menial chores anyway?" Kirika asked, folding her arms.

"There's not much we _can_ do right now." Shirabe said, "Mom is still recovering from her bout, and Sui-kun is making sure Dr. Ver does what we need him to. We can't really doo too much until Maria or Oratorio say we're ready."

"Yeah." Kirika said, humming as she looked at Shirabe, "Hey, are you doing okay? You look a little pale."

"Huh? No, I'm fine." Shirabe said, though Skalla raised a brow when she sounded a little woozy, and Shirabe was normally deadpan as it was.

"Really? You do look a little wobbly." Skalla said.

"Ah, let's take a break!" Kirik suggested, Skalla nodding.

"That sounds good. We do have a ways to walk anyway."

"Okay…" Shirabe murmured, Skalla and Kirika chuckling.

* * *

The soft sound of a stone skipping across the water was the only thing splitting the air in the silent knoll the FIS crew had landed in, Maria standing by Natassja as Oratorio picked up another smooth stone near his feet to toss, testing it before chucking it with practiced smoothness, three skips following before the stone fell in, to Oratorio's annoyance as he rolled his left wrist.

"Man, I still do that thing with my wrist huh?" Oratorio muttered, fishing for another rock.

"After everything that's happened, I know all too well…" Maria's voice however, got him to stop his next throw for a moment, Oratorio glancing back to her and Natassja before resuming his motion, "how weak my resolve and determination really are. I also know what's waiting for us in the end."

" _You're not weak Maria, not at all."_ Oratorio kept the thought to himself, his thumb rubbing over the most recent stone he'd picked up as Maria stepped in front of Natassja.

"So please, mom, allow me to-"

"That will not be necessary." Natassja said, Oratorio looking over at her as the woman glanced at both Maria and him.

"What do you mean?" Oratorio asked, the woman giving both of them, her expression serious.

* * *

"Old, unfinished construction yard? Well… not a _terrible_ place to take a break in."

"There's lots of icky things around here, but I couldn't even imagine this kind of freedom at the facility!"

"Can't agree more."

Kirika chuckled to Skalla's agreement as she bit into the snack she had, Skalla squeezing the contents of the spout bag in his hands between his lips, the boy glancing over to see Shirabe hadn't even opened the plastic of her own food, looking even _worse_ than before to boot, staring at the ground with a lidded, tired look as she nodded.

"Yeah, that's right." Shirabe's voice also only sounded even more tired, Skalla giving a hum as he leaned on his knees, Kirika looking down too as she swallowed what was in her mouth.

"We were locked up in the facility as potential vessels for Finé or Scortura's souls." Kirika noted, and Skalla looked up towards the railings when he heard shifting, the sounds making him feel a bit uneasy, "But, Maria and Oratorio relieved us of that burden, harboring those souls by themselves. It must be scary, to cease being who you are. We made them endure that all on their own."

"I can't even imagine what that'd be like… but, who knows… maybe they'll be lucky and not have to deal with that. Maybe…" Skalla murmured, crushing the spot bag in his hand, looking back up to where he heard the sound. _"Please just be the wind…"_

"Huhhh… huhhh…." Kirika and Skalla looked over when they heard Shirabe's heavy breathing, the girl a downright _sicky_ pale shade now.

"Shirabe?! Where you always that pale?!" Kirika gasped, Shirabe shaking her head but still breathing uneasily.

"I'm fine. Now that I've rested a bit…"

"No, you're not fine!" Skalla said, standing up, "Come on, I'll carry you the rest of the way back, you need to lay down in a bed!"

"Yeah, good idea!" Kirika nodded, Shirabe shaking her head and standing up. "Hey, that's not good!"

"I'll… be fine…" Shirabe murmured, though the minute she took a step, she flattered and fell, her head slamming into the nearby stack of poles, causing the entire thing to shift, and Skalla heard the crashing sounds from above, his body already reacting.

"Look out!" Skalla shouted, diving for both of the girls in front of him, Kirika's gasp coming out as she looked up.

* * *

"You don't have to play the great Finé or Scortura anymore." Natassja's words got too different reactions: Oratorio looked perplexed, while Maria was in shock.

"Mom, what are you saying?!" Maria asked, Natassja looking between both of them as Oratorio approached.

"You two, Maria Cadenzavna Eve and Oratorio Allegro Carmine, harbor not the slightest traces of either Finé or Scortura's souls within you." Natassja stated, Oratorio's perplexed expression falling to a calmer look, "You two are simply the kind children I have always known. The souls of those two failed to reincarnate in any of the potential vessels… and since Scortura's previous vessel is still alive, his soul never moved on to begin with. You already met him… but, neither of you two have those souls with you. That is all."

Unlike the stunned and silent Maria, Oratorio's expression showed that a sense of relief had washed over him, but, that feeling of relief suddenly turned into horror as his rising grin fell and his eyes widened, his pupils turning into punpricks.

" _But… what if she's wrong? If… if Finé's soul_ did _actually manage to reincarnate than… who? Would it be Kirika? Or Shirabe… both of them have been exposed to Phonic Gain for a few years though so… but…"_ Oratorio could only blink as the horrible, possibly paranoid came through him, _"This… isn't good."_

* * *

Skalla winced as the dust began clearing, his eyes widening when he saw the only one beneath him from his dive was Kirika, the girl shifting up as he moved, Kirika looking around with wide, scared eyes when she didn't see Shirabe.

"Shirabe?! Shirabe!" Kirika yelled, Skalla shaking his head as he looked around.

"No way… I… I dove for both of them, I couldn't have missed…" Skalla murmured, Kirika calling out again as Skalla waved the dust aside, grabbing his pendant, about to call out the activation phrase, when Kirika grabbed his sleeve, Skalla turning to see her pointing off.

Amid the dust, a dull purple glow could be seen, and as it cleared out, the parting dust revealed the glow was coming from a dome barrier that had appeared, holding back the pipes that then slide off and crashed to the ground, and underneath the pulsing barrier, an unconscious Shirabe.

"No way… but… that means…" Skalla murmured, Kirika's grip on his sleeve going to full out grabbing his arm as her body shuddered.

"Shirabe is… n-no… it can't…" Kirika murmured, her eyes fixated on the barrier that soon fell, "She's…"

"Shirabe is… Finé's reincarnation…" Skalla muttered, his tone dropping to one of horrified dread as the realization settled in while Kirika only shook her head with tears forming at her eyes.

"No…" Kirika's voice was soft, but the terseness of the word and the look on her face said it all… the realization before the two was like a nightmare come true.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well ain't THIS a way to end a chapter eh? Ah man the coming arc is gonna have so much different about it unlike before… whoo boy, here we go!**


	28. G Stanza XII

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza XII: "Why do you want my power?"**

The cockpit of the VTOL was nothing but silence and the hum of the engines as Maria and Oratorio guided the machine along, Maria's eyes deadest forward while Oratorio kept glancing over to her. After the news they had just received and her shocked reaction, the young man couldn't help but feel an edge of concern.

But then there were Oratorio's own thoughts. Hearing he and Maria did not in fact have a single trace of the souls of Finé and Scortura within them brought about to reactions in the young man's mind: Both shock to a fact he had long since accepted as potentially happening in his future no longer being true, having never _been_ true. But also, elation. This meant at the least, that none of them would have to lose themselves due to using their Symphogears, that lingering weight and fear was gone from his mind.

But the other thing on his mind was how Maria was taking the news over himself. Even if he was okay with the idea ("okay" pretty much being an understatement), it was obvious by the sullen look on Maria's face her thoughts were far stormier.

" _I think I know why…"_ Oratorio thought back to earlier in the day, giving a sigh as he looked at Maria again…

* * *

The air held a faint hum to it as the six FIS Symphogears stood in the streets of a projected town within the training room of the VTOL, the simulated Noise, all too akin to the real thing considering the kind of method to train this was, coming towards the six, faint threads of light in the air indicating all three pairs were in Synchronized states, threads connecting Oratorio and Maira, Suiv and Shirabe, and Skalla and Kirika respectively.

Rushing into the fight, the six struck at the simulated Noise in tandem strikes synched up to their partners movements in smooth motions as the three duos moved through the crowd, Maria and Oratorio getting a ping into their headsets.

" _Maria, Oratorio. Only you two can hear this transmission."_ Natassja's voice had Maria distracted for a singular moment, almost swinging her spear into a simulated civilian, Oratorio moving the spear aside and thrusting his sword through the coming Noise, Maria slashing at another as she then went back to back with Oratorio, _"The other four cannot hear our conversation."_

"This again?" Maria asked, "You want us to keep playing Finé and Scortura, right?"

"Personally I think it may not be needed." Oratorio said, adjusting the grip on his blade, the sudden flare in emotions from both him and Maria causing it the weapon itself to flare up along its edge.

" _We require Dr. Ver's help in order to proceed with the plan. Suiv did a good job of convincing him to agree to the limits he set, but, Ver is unstable, meaning we don't know when or if he'll try to gain the upper hand. So, we need to make_ sure _he remains on our side."_ Natassja said, Oratorio letting out a gout of flame through the Noise before him, _"To do that, he needs to believe you two harbor those souls within you, that we control the pinnacle of heretical technology."_

"I can't do it!" Maria said, shaking her head, "We might be receptor children – orphans gathered as potential hosts for Finé and Scortura – but in truth, none of us were able to take on their souls!"

"So why go back on the point _now?"_ Oratorio asked, kicking back a Noise and pulling another simulated civilian out of the way of the combat, turning when he saw Maria aim her spear, his line of sight following the weapon as it began to glow, seeing a civilian just behind the Noise, "Maria, stop!"

It was a split second moment that had her fire, Maria barely managing to adjust the angle of the shot as she let it loose without thinking about what was happening, the bolt of energy arcing past the Noise and _barely_ scraping the simulated man, but, that was enough to register a hit in the system, a blaring warning of "Mission Failed" appearing above the group, Maria standing in shock at what had just happened, and Oratorio lurched as the connection between him and Maria was just as suddenly severed, barely keeping himself from falling to a knee from the sudden disconnect that happened, the projection shutting down the room lighting up.

"Man that… actually kinda hurt." Oratorio put a hand on his head as his helmet retracted, looking to Maria as she stayed in stunned silence.

"What just happened?" Kirika asked, Suiv adjusting his glasses while Skalla tilted his head in confusion.

"Their connection was suddenly severed. Weird, the new LiNKER formula increases all of our times, and Oratorio doesn't need it… so it wasn't due to running out of time." Suiv noted, folding his arms, Shirabe sliding over.

"That means what happened made Maria lose focus." Shirabe said, "I wouldn't blame her thought.

"Yeah, accidentally clipping an innocent, ouch. I know this is simulated but, still." Skalla noted, Kirika nodding along to him in agreement.

"Are you okay?" Maria stepped over to Oratorio, the young man nodding as he lowered his hand.

"I'm fine, it was just a bit sudden is all." Oratorio replied, disengaging his Gear and gripping the pendant tightly, "But, what about all of you? How's the new LiNKER working out?"

"Awesomely!" Skalla cheered, giving a peace sign.

"Our Synchs are way stronger now too, dess!" Kirika added, pumping a fist as she chuckled.

"Optimal." Shirabe curtly stated.

"I do still think we can improve if more, but it'll suffice." Suiv stated, disengaging his own gear, "I'll go make sure Ver isn't up to anything since he's examining the Nephilim Heart."

"I'll go with him." Shirabe followed Suiv out of the large room, Kirika and Skalla taking a silent moment before heading out themselves, leaving the two young adults alone as Maria finally disengaged her Gear.

"Maria, that was an accident, don't hold it against yourself." Oratorio said, putting a hand on Maria's shoulder, the young woman sighing.

"That's not the problem." Maria said, leaving next, Oratorio giving a sigh as he lowered his hand.

* * *

" _Mom said we don't have to play the role anymore, but she wants to keep up the charade all the same. Not that I don't understand why… we can't trust Ver at all, even if Suiv is managing to keep him in check."_ Oratorio sighed as he looked to the radar, the image showing a large landmass coming into onto it, even as the open sea remained unchanged, a single word over it, Frontier. _"Shenshou Jing and the Nephilim… both items we need to raise then power the Frontier. We don't need any more pretense, right? Or… does mom have something else planned?"_

* * *

"So… what should we do?"

"Huh?"

Skalla looked to Kirika as she wrapped her arms around her legs, gentle rocking in her chair, Skalla taking a moment before realizing what they meant… what they should do about what it is they learned. Skalla's mind was still just as stuck as Kirika likely was.

"Honestly… I'm still having a hard time believing it." Skalla muttered, his hands tightening on the base of the seat, "But, Shirabe doesn't know… none of the others do. We should… we have to tell them."

"But… Oratorio and Maria still think they're Finé and Scortura! If Finé is really in Shirabe then…" Kirika murmured, shaking her head, "No, no way! It… it really can't be, can it?"

"I wish it wasn't. It feels like some bad dream just decided to come to life." Skalla remarked, flexing the fingers on a hand as he rolled his pendant in his palm, clutching it tightly after a moment. "But, with how it is, can we even tell them? We're so close to Frontier now."

"What would happen if we did tell them then?" Kirika asked, putting her hands on her head, "Telling Shirabe she has Finé's soul…"

"You two won't have to tell anyone a thing." Suiv's voice got the two to look over to the door, the bespectacled boy entering with his hands in his pockets, Skalla and Kirika going wide eyed when Shirabe entered after him.

"Shirabe…" Kirika murmured, her voice more of a whisper as Shirabe looked at her and Skalla in turn. "We… Shirabe, what we saw, we don't even know if it's real!"

"Yeah… I mean, that barrier is probably proof but… agh, man this is all so much of a mess! I don't even know what to think right now!" Skalla grabbed his hair as he let out a frustrated growl, Suiv stepping over and lightly chopping him and Kirika on the head when the two showed.

"Before you two start freaking out, maybe try thinking a bit more on the matter… I ran a check up on Shirabe after you two brought her back, and overall, she's fine, but…" Suiv stopped and stepped back, "Shirabe, you should say it."

"Whether I really am the vessel for Finé or not, I don't feel like I've changed if it is true. I felt uneasy before, but, now, I'm fine." Shirabe said, looking at a hand, Kirika shooting up and grabbing said hand.

"But we don't know for real! If you are Finé's vessel, then there's a chance you'll be gone! I don't want to lose you, we all don't!" Kirika insisted, Shirabe glancing to Suiv and Skalla before looking back to Kirika.

"I know that… but there's a lot we don't know either." Shirabe added, Skalla then standing up, "Skal-kun…"

"Shirabe, Kirika and I… we're scared. Seeing that, it's just. We don't want to lose anybody!" Skalla said, Shirabe then puffing out a cheek at seeing the expressions on Skalla and Kirika's faces, reaching forward and grabbing both by a cheek, "Owowowo!"

"Aghhh… Shirabe, that hurts!" Kirika whined, Shirabe letting the two of them go.

"Don't worry so much, either of you." Shirabe said, putting a hand over her chest, "I don't really know why, but… I just feel like it'll be fine. When Sui-kun looked me over, he said there was another kind of waveform in my body, but it's small, it won't effect me. It may be Finé's soul, it may not be. But whatever it is, both of you… I won't change, I'm not going to go anywhere, okay?"

"Uhhh… Shirabe!" Kirika shot forward and hugged Shirabe tightly as tears started coming from her eyes, Shirabe returning the gesture easily, "We still don't want that! I don't want there to even be a small chance of that!"

"I know. But again, Kiri-chan, I just feel like things will be alright." Shirabe said, and when she glanced over to him, for a brief moment, Skalla could've sworn her eyes turned gold, "Skal-kun, you trust me on that right?"

"… Yes." Skalla nodded, Kirika looking at him, "Kirika, if Shirabe says it'll be alright, then we need to trust her on that. It's what friends do, right?"

"Skalla..." Kirika murmured, nodding and wiping the tears from her eyes, "Right! If Shirabe says it's okay, then we need to help her keep that! Shirabe, I'm making you stick to your word, okay?!"

"Of course." Shirabe nodded, looking back to Suiv, "Sui-kun, you're being quiet again."

"I just didn't want to interrupt." Suiv said, adjusting his glasses, Shirabe then giving him a narrowed look before poking him in the side, Suiv yelping as she kept it up, "WILL, OW, YOU, OW, STOP!"

"Not until you admit what you're thinking." Shirabe deadpanned, continuing to jab Suiv's side as he bit his lip, Skalla and Kirika chuckling as his face turned red, "Sui-kun, say it."

"Agh fine! I was worried too!" Suiv shouted, his glasses slanting as he yelled, "We were already dealing with the thought of Maria and Oratorio losing themselves… this was the same. So I was worried when I found that reading. I'm not even sure if you can keep using your Symphogear safely."

"I said it'll be fine." Shirabe said, clapping her hands on Suiv's face and staring him dead in the eyes, "Okay?"

"F-Fine." Suiv muttered, Shirabe pushing his cheeks in, "I said fine! If you say you'll be okay then I trust you! Just stop with that piercing stare!"

"Good." Shirabe said, patting Suiv on the head, to his obvious annoyance. "So, if that's all okay then… how do we tell Oratorio and Maria?"

"That is a question, is it?" Skalla hummed, putting a hand on his chin. "Maybe… maybe they know?"

"We can't be too sure on that. We'll figure it out though." Suiv said, "But… we should focus. We're near the Frontier, so we should head up to the cockpit."

"Right!"

* * *

"These are the scans of your body, Hibiki." The returned Symphogears were shown a full scan of Hibiki's torso by Genjuuro, the scan showing the fusion had spread even further through her body, and at the center of it all, a prominent growth from where the "roots" came from, Chris and Ritsudo wide eyed at the sight of the image, while the three veterans were more stoic. "The Gungnir fragments embedded within you have spread even further throughout your flesh. They're forming a new organ within your body. This is both the source of your explosive power and the greatest threat to your life."

"Ahahaha. So, you're telling me that to avoid stimulating the Gungnir within me any further, I need to avoid using my Gear whenever possible? Ahhaha haa…" Hibiki's tone was far too light and carefree for the matter at hand, and the first to respond to it was Ritsudo as his hands tightened up.

"Don't play around like that!" Ritsudo snapped, slamming his hands on the side of the infirmary bed, Hibiki flinching when she saw the tears in his eyes as he shook, "Don't talk about this like your life is worthless… you could _die_ if this gets worse, don't you get that?!"

"Ritsu, she knows." Chris's tone was gentle, and she put a hand on Ritsudo's arm as he grit his teeth, but there was obviously pain in the young man's voice, pain mixed with worry that Hibiki couldn't help but notice herself as she lowered the hand she had near her mouth from her earlier attempt at remaining upbeat.

"Whenever possible? Are you insane?!" Tsubasa snapped, a similarly pained look on her face as Kyomei looked on with worry of his own as tears began forming in Tsubasa's eyes, "You are banned from any and all combat hereafter! You can't keep this up!"

"Tsubasa, come on… she knows well enough." Kyomei said, gently pulling Tsubasa back, the idol's jaw clenching tightly as she turned and left, Kyomei following, "Tsubasa!"

"They do have a point." Koto said, stepping off of the wall and turning to Hibiki as Ritsudo rubbed off his eyes, Chris still keeping her hand on his arm in a comforting sort of gesture, "With how this is, you _can't_ use your Gear, period… at least not until we find some kind of fix."

"The doctors are doing everything they can as well." Genjuuro said, his tone more positive as he pat Hibiki on the head, "They've made good progress based on the data Ryoko left behind."

"Commander…" Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo now shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned his head.

"I'm sure they'll find a cure in no time." Genjuuro said, but, the looks on some of the other's faces wasn't exactly what one could refer to as confident… the air of dread hanging about was too thick to think too positively on this at all. "Until then, there should be no harm in taking it easy. So just rest for now."

"Alright." Hibiki murmured, but the look on her face was clearly downtrodden, the mood starting to get to her now as well.

* * *

"Tsubasa?!" Kyomei called out again as he trotted down the passage, though the slam onto a wall was the hint he needed, spotting Tsubasa with her fist pressed into the wall, her body shaking as she held a snarl, tears dripping from her eyes, Kyomei slowly approaching her, "Hey, come on it's… okay, well… no, it is that bad, but…"

"A sword has no need for tears, right?" Tsubasa muttered, her arm shuddering as she spoke, "So why… why won't mine stop flowing?!"

"Because you're not a sword… you're human." Kyomei stepped forward and pulled Tsubasa into a hug, the girl flinching as he did, letting her again wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his shoulder, "You have tears because you're a human, Tsubasa. It's okay to cry and be scared for someone you care about. You haven't failed at anything… but please don't call yourself a sword. You're the lovely, kind Tsubasa Kazanari I was crazy enough to fall in love with. Don't be scared to cry, it's natural, and part of being alive."

"Kyomei…" Tsubasa choked out, grabbing tightly as she muffled the sobs she couldn't keep back into his shoulder, "I'm scared! I can't take it… if it happens again… I can't go through this a second time Kyomei!"

"I know. This scares me too, but we need to have faith in our friends." Kyomei said, putting his hands on Tsubasa's shoulders, looking her in the eyes, "Sometimes there's things they need to figure out themselves, without our help."

"You're… you're right." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei handing her a handkerchief from his pocket, which she promptly used to clean off her face, "But I just… can't help feeling this way."

"I know, and that's fine." Kyomei said, hugging Tsubasa again, "You don't need to feel bad about feeling doubtful or afraid. Remember, you're not a sword. You're human, you're Tsubasa Kazanari."

"Thank you…"

* * *

The radar showed the VTOL to be directly over the mass hidden beneath the water that was the Frontier, the only disturbance of the water coming from the chopping rotors only meters above the surface of the water.

"Maria, Oratorio, please proceed." From within, Natassaja gave the clear, Oratorio nodding as he flicked a few switches on the dashboard of the cockpit, a hatch on the vehicle opening and launching an object into the air, the cylindrical item opening up a set of small rotor blades and opening a sensor.

"Shuttle marker activated." Maria relayed.

"Deactivate cloaking, focus the Senshou Jing's energy." Natassja ordered, the vehical being repositioned to be a short ways away from the marker, near the panels being another object glowing, one with what was clearly a Symphogear Pendant within it's frame, "The Senshou Jing, found at Mt. Minakami in the Nagano prefecture is a mirror Relic. Should the ancient tales be true, it is not only capable of bending light to create optical camouflage, but also power to exorcise evil. It's power will negate and release the Relic powered seal on the Frontier."

As Natassja's hand reached for the switch before her, a quick move from Ver behind her made her pause, the four younger members of the cell entering the space just behind the man.

"Once you unseal the Frontier, you'll make its existence known to the world." Ver said, back to his usual smooth tone… despite the fact he had inactive bindings on his wrist, and Suiv's motions in his pocket showed he had the switch himself, "Shouldn't we wait until we've completed all the preparations?"

"You need not worry." Natassja stated, Ver backing off, "Beam volley, discharge."

The glow from the stand holding the Relic grew brighter, the press of a switch firing a concentrated beam from the VTOL that bounced off the marker and down into the waters below, streaking down into the depths to a point deep within the ocean floor, a protrusion coming from the floor itself.

"Now the seal on the Frontier will be no more! No more!" Ver said, Suiv bearing the most cautious look on his face as his thumb hovered over the button in his pocket as the anticipation from the man rose as smoke began broiling up from the disturbed water, "No mo-" but then it was all stillness, nothing even coming above the calming waves as the steam cleared, Ver's expression going from smug to baffled within seconds. "It didn't work?"

"Obviously." Oratorio quipped, messing with a strand of hair.

"It wasn't… it wasn't unsealed?" Ver gasped, backing up a bit in shock.

"The power was insufficient." Natassja stated, the Symphogear users looking to the old woman, "Even the Senshou Jing's power is not enough to unseal the Frontier if we only amplify it mechanically."

"You knew?!" Ver growled, Suiv pulling the trigger out of his pocket in preparation, "You're an expert in Relics! I can't for one second think you failed to realize that when you first investigated this area! Did you merely bring us here to demonstrate how far we still are from unsealing Frontier?"

"I believe we need to discuss the important details of what comes next." Natassja stated, Ver gritting his teeth as an irritated keen left his throat.

"I think the answer is a bit simple though." Suiv said, leaning on Oratorio's chair to look at the Relic in front of them, "We need someone who can use the Shenshou Jing, right?"

"That would probably work, but it'll take far too long to find someone who's compatible even with LiNKER on hand." Oratorio said, Suiv shrugging, "But, you are right… an active Symphogear would have more power than a mechanically focused charge."

The glare that came from Ver to be directed at Suiv and Oratorio was one of pure malice at the statement of something he wasn't considering, Suiv's glance back to the man and smirk confirming it was as if this was wholly intentional from him, spite against the unstable man.

" _Those two… always those two!"_ Ver screamed in his mind, but the words dared not leave even as he growled like an angry animal at the two."

* * *

 _ **Tokyo Sky Tower**_

One of the many elevators to the upper floors of the tower slid open, Maria pishing Natassja's wheelchair along while Oratorio followed behind the two, Maria leaning over a bit.

"Mom, what did you mean by-"

"Exactly what I said." Natassja stated, Maria letting out a small mutter, Oratorio pocketing his hands, "Up until now, we've taken the roles of terrorists. However, out true duty is to prevent the terrible devastation the Moon would bring about. Is it not?"

"Well, you're definitely not wrong about that point." Oratorio noted, fiddling with his pendant in his pocket.

"So, you're saying we can't save the world as we are now?" Maria asked, the three entering a room with a large table to it, and greeting them there were several men in dark suits, their appearances easily showing they weren't natives, "Mom, who are they?"

"Agents from the American government." Oratorio gleaned a cautious gaze, Natassja nodding.

"Precisely. I called them here for negotiations." Natassja said, director her chair over to the table herself.

"You want to strike a deal with them?" Maria asked, Oratorio looking far more wary than even Maria did now.

"I told the others as well." Natassja said, "Let us discuss the important details of what will come next."

" _I have a bad feeling about this."_ Oratorio could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raising, not just out of paranoia about the agents but of other possibilities as well to what could happen here…

* * *

And elsewhere in the tower, Ritsudo had his eyes stuck following some fish in the aquarium room of the location, his hood raised and obscuring his face from others' view, but his silver eyes were stuck following the free moving patterns of the contained creatures, a sigh passing by his thin lips as he shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets.

" _Everything's just hit the fan… we have some kind of whacked conspiracy thing going on and one of us is being consumed by her Symphogear. This is less two birds with one stone an two stones on a bird."_ Ritsudo sighed again as he glanced back at the fish in the tank, turning around and leaning on the rail near him, _"And I'm here with my head all in a jumble… what's even up with that? I felt so sure about things before, like I knew exactly what it was I wanted to do with myself. Now it just feels confusing, like there's something I'm missing to that…"_

" _So, you're telling me that to avoid stimulating the Gungnir within me any further, I need to avoid using my Gear whenever possible?"_

Ritsudo felt himself flinch as Hibiki's tone from those words came back to his mind, his hands tightening up as his jaw tightened.

" _Why would she say that? Does Hibiki think her life is worthless? It's like she forgot she's still human… that we're not invincible heroes death doesn't apply to."_ Ritsudo stepped off the rail and adjusted his hood as he let out a breath and relaxed himself.

"Oeeeeaahhh!" A scream broke through the chattering buzz of the crowd, Ritsudo leaning past a few people, and to no surprise to him based on the sound, the culprit was Hibiki, holder her face as Miku pulled a juice can away from her cheek.

"Don't yell like that." Miku said.

"W-Wouldn't anyone yell if you did that to them?!" Hibiki asked, rubbing the cold spot on her face.

"Well most people wouldn't outright _screech."_ Ritsudo said, stepping up through the crowd and giving a wave, "Yo."

"Ritsu! What're you doing here?" Hibiki asked, and Miku gleaned a slightly annoyed gleam in her eyes at the white haired boy's appearance there.

"I could ask the same thing." Ritsudo snickered, adjusting his hood. "On some kinda date you two?"

"You could say that." Hibiki chuckled, screeching again when Miku took the drink she had and pressed it to her face, "Miku!"

"It's your fault." Miku said, Hibiki pointing at herself as she gave a confused him. "We don't get to hang out like this very often, but you're acting like you're bored out of your mind."

"Ahhh… sorry." Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo giving a little chuckle. "Don't worry! It's been so long since we last went out on a date. Of course I'm having fun!"

"Hibiki…" Miku murmured, Ritsudo giving a hum.

"Well, I'll just leave you two to it. Have fun!" Ritsudo turned with a wave, but, before he could, Hibiki grabbed him by the wrist, the boy looking back to see that Hibiki was giving him an analytic look, "Huh?"

"You should come with us, we're gonna go through everything the Sky Tower has to offer!" Hibiki said.

"Uh, no, it's fine. I really don't wanna get in the way if you two are hanging out together." Ritsudo said, Hibiki shaking her head.

"It's fine! Now come on, let's go!" Hibiki said, pulling Ritsudo off, Miku sighing as she followed, but no objection came from here… there wasn't room for one, not when she could see the small grin Ritsudo had shown was a sad one. Hibiki's nature as a person wouldn't let her leave Ritsudo alone when he had an expression like that, a fact Miku knew well enough as Hibiki pulled Ritsudo out to the walkway, a clear view of the city through the large windows.

"You don't have to you know?" Ritsudo muttered, rubbing is wrist once Hibiki let go, looking out towards the sky as the group of three walked along, Hibiki looking back at Ritsudo as he kept his eyes locked on the clouds.

"Well… it just seems like something has you down, so, I thought having some fun would cheer you right up!" Hibiki stated, twirling around to face Ritsudo, pointing at him, "I know because you have your hood up. And you always pull it up when something is bothering you."

"Ah… well… I do that, huh?" Ritsudo muttered, impulse making him pull his hood down as Hibiki nodded, Ritsudo leaning on the railing with a sigh, Hibiki standing next to him while Miku glanced over.

"So… what's up? Does it have to do with Chris-chan?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo holding back a bit of a chuckle at the all too blunt question on hand. "Is it?"

"Yes but no. At least, it _was,_ but now… it's more like something with myself." Ritsudo said, both Hibiki and Miku looking curious at the statement, "I guess… I just feel kind of lost. Like there's something missing and I just don't know what that something even _is._ It's got my head in all kinds of a mess. Ugh… I just don't know."

"A mess, huh?" Hibiki said, her tone a bit more on the side of sullen, "I've kind of had the same thing… I guess I just got caught up in everything and forgot that I really could die in a fight, like it didn't apply to me. But… are there people who need me, even if I can't fight?"

"Well I can give an answer to that question at the least." Ritsudo said so as he looked at Miku, the dark haired girl leaning in to look more closely at Hibiki's face, "Fighting isn't all there is to helping people Hibiki… don't act like there isn't anything more to your life than that."

"Yeah, but…"

"He's right Hibiki." Miku said, her tone almost obstinate, "There's a lot more to do than just fight… you know there's more ways to help people, more reasons to want to."

"Reason, huh?" Ritsudo muttered, that particular word reminding him all too much of how he'd been before. Without reason, and without guidance, _"A reason… I thought that was something I finally had… or… maybe what I didn't realize, isn't a what… but a why…"_

" _ **Why do you want my power?"**_ The fact the twinge in his mind this time came with words rather than just some kind of interpreted intent got Ritsudo to flinch, looking down to where his pendant was hanging from his neck.

" _I…"_ A solid answer didn't come to Ritsudo in the stunned moment, his hands then tightening on the railing, _"Why_ do _I want Kusanagi's power?"_

* * *

Oratorio handed a data chip off to one of the agents, his expression clearly one with hostility in it as he backed up, though the man who had the chip seemed unfazed as he pocketed the item.

"Thank you. We gladly accept the information you've provided regarding heretical technology." The agent said, Oratorio scoffing as he moved back beside Maria.

"I will assist you in making full use of it." Natassja said, "Now then…"

But, the next event to happen was the men drawing handguns and aiming at the three, Oratorio responding by drawing Claimoh Solais with a burst of flames, though the lead agent just scoffed.

"Bullets kill faster and more mercifully than your songs." The man saide, Oratorio letting out a growl.

"Should've known you'd only take the data." Oratorio growled, Maria clenching a fist.

"Did you intend to spurn our deal from the start?" Natassja asked, holding out an arm to make Oratorio stay back when he leveled his sword.

"We got what we wanted. No we simply need to dispose of what we do-" The man stopped speaking when the air changed, a humming in it as flying type Noise lifted up into view from the window. "Noise?!"

"Ngh, get back!" Oratorio shouted, some of the Noise drifting in through the window and more from the ceiling and floor, Oratorio slashing aside one that went for Natassja, the agents all being brought down by the Noise coming for them, "Maria!"

"Right!" Maria nodded and grabbed her pendant off her neck, holding it out as Oratorio held his sword level near his face.

" _Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zillz!"_

" _Illumino Claimoh Solais zillz!"_

 **(Start song "Resso – Gungnir" sung by Maria)**

Oratorio and Maria shot forward, cutting down the Noise in front of them swiftly, though as moire Noise came in explosions began to rock the tower from top to bottom…

* * *

The shaking of the tower could be felt even near the upper levels, everyone there becoming confused at what was happening from within as they looked around, Ritsudo, Hibiki, and Miku steadying themselves on the railing.

"What was that?" Miku asked, and her answer came when noise began drifting up into their sightline, panicked screams coming from the people around them as panic started, and Hibiki was already about to shoot off, Miku grabbing her arm, "You can't go, don't go!"

"Miku?" Hibiki turned to her friend with a confused look, Ritsudo already pulling his pendant off of his neck as the crowd kept churning as people rushed for the inner parts of the tower, though as his lips moved to call out the activation phrase, a twinge went through his mind again, Ritsudo feeling like everything around him had slowed to a near crawl.

"What the…" Ritsudo muttered, and he could swear he felt someone lean onto his back, but he couldn't turn around to see _who,_ if anyone was.

"Let me ask again… why do you want my power?" The voice was clear this time, repeating the question that had come… and the voice asking such a question was Ritsudo's own, the boy's eyes widening in shock.

"What… who…"

"You know me well enough." The voice said, an amused trill coming to their tone, Ritsudo able to move his arm to look at Kusanagi's pendant, "This kind of air… filled with panic, with Noise all around. It's familiar, is it not?"

"Just like two years ago." Ritsudo said, the memory flooding into his mind as his hand wrapped around the pendant, "I know who you are… Kusanagi. Why now? Why choose now to actually talk to me for real huh?"

He could feel something like a shrug come from the pressure on his back, "It seemed more appropriate. Your mind is swimming with doubt, confusion after thinking you were so set and assured of your ideals. I didn't choose you to be my wielder because I thought you'd be so easily swayed you know."

"So then why are you doing this now if you were just going to remind me of two years ago?' Ritsudo demanded. While what he could see was barely more than a crawl, the fact people were in a panic around him was more than enough to rile him up in annoyance at being stopped, and he could hear a chuckle come from "Kusanagi" behind him.

"You're riled up. Seeing people in panic, in need of help, gets to you, right? You feel this uncontrollable urge to jump in and help… just like you did with that Chris girl. You saw she needed help, so regardless of wether she actually wanted it, you helped her… and when she asked what your reasons, were, what was it you said again?" "Kusanagi" mused, giving a chuckle again, "Ah yes, it was "I just want to help you" if memory serves. Nothing more, nothing less… you simply wanted to help that girl because your heart told you to."

"I didn't have any other reason!" Ritsudo snapped, and then it felt like something had just slammed him in the face, his eyes widening as "Kusanagi" chuckled again, Ritsudo putting a hand to his face, "I get it now… what I was missing… I'd completely ignored it."

"So you realize it. You're a man who doesn't need any other reason to fight, to save others than the simple desire to do so!" "Kusanagi" said, "So… tell me Wielder, why do you want my power, what do you wish to become with that sword in your hands and the wind at your back?"

"I… I…" Ritsudo let out a slightly labored breath, but, he could feel a smile breaking out across his face, "What I want to be… I want…"

* * *

Maria stamped down on the data chip amid the ashes of the former agents, going to Natassja and picking the woman up as Oratorio dashed into the hallway ahead of her, more Noise coming through the walls but being swiftly cut down by the pair as they rushed through the halls, more explosions continuing to rattle the tower, and as they continued, a squad of armed soldiers came out from the corners, Maria moving her cape in front of her to block their bullets, Oratorio rushing forward and slamming on in the gut while Maria batted two down with a blow from the cape, Oratorio slamming the last into a wall with a hard kick.

"Maria, Oratorio, lets move to high ground so they can't catch us by surprise." Natassja ordered, Oratorio nodding and crashing through the nearest door, the duo leaping up the steps to the floors above…

* * *

"I want to be a hero!"

As Ritsudo called out the solemn wish he'd realized, Hibiki saw the smile form on his face as the air began whipping around him as his voice rang out his activation call, something in the air itself felt like it had changed as the swipe of his sword dispelled the light around him and he turned, a confident, bright smile gracing his features as the scarf of his Gear billowed.

"Hibiki, Miku, get out of here and help whoever you can find, I'll deal with the Noise!" Ritsudo said, Hibiki blinking as he stepped onto the rail.

"Ritsu, wait! You can only fly for a few minutes, and there's too many of them!" Hibiki said, Ritsudo snickering as he looked at her, and something about that smile made the girl stop.

"It'll be fine! Trust me, I've got this!" Ritsudo said, stepping back when a Noise came streaking towards them, his sword flashing through the air as it blasted through the window, "Well, that thing just made my exit."

"Are you sure?" Hibiki asked, Ritsudo nodding to her again as he stepped onto the railing once more.

"It'll be alright! Now go, both of you, get somewhere safe!" Ritsudo said, jumping through the gap in the window as his scarf billowed out into segments, light bursting through them to form wings once more, "Let's go, Kusanagi!"

* * *

Maria and Oratorio were ducked behind the cover of Maria's cape was bullets rained on them from the soldiers blocking the path, Natassja huddled within the curve of the defensive wall, though the civilians who were running in terror from the Noise didn't have that fortune, some of them being gunned down in the crossfire without a care from the soldiers, Oratorio blasting them aside with a burst from his sword.

"Bastards!" Oratorio snapped, Maria's eyes wide as she stared at the bodies of the innocents on the floor as she stood, blood smearing the walls, and Maria let out a growl as the soldiers approached again and took aim.

"Why?" Maria muttered, a glare on her face as she turned to the new batch of soldiers, "It's my fault for failing to become Finé's vessel!"

Maria's scream was followed by her cape whipping out and downing two of the soldiers, another going down with a vicious kick to the head that spewed blood from his mouth, and the last two felled by a slash of Maria's spear, the weapon marked by their blood as she shuddered, Oratorio standing and moving to her, softly putting a hand on her shuddering soldier.

"Maria, you can stop…" Oratorio said, Maria's arms going limp as she stood up, shaking breaths leaving her mouth as she choked back sobs, Oratorio looking around at the blood now caking the walls from the soldiers, Maria's breaths becoming heavy.

"Help! Someone, help!" The terrified scream of some of the civilians who'd remained carried out, Oratorio clenching his hand, his mask falling into place as he turned.

"Stop panicking and run!" Oratorio shouted, the three people taking a terrified moment of shock before doing just that, Oratorio letting his mask retreat again as he turned back to Maria as her labored breathing continued, "We need to go."

"Yes." Maria said, picking up Natassja and aiming her spear upwards, "I won't hesitate anymore! We're getting out of here!"

"Right." Oratorio nodded as Maria's spear spun around and created a whirlwind, the two blasting through the ceiling and upwards…

* * *

 **(Start song "Gravity 0" by Aqua Timez, sung by Ritsudo)**

Even if he knew this flight would only last a few minutes, as he darted in the air and cut down the Noise rushing the tower, Ritsudo couldn't help but feel an all new elation as he soared through the air freely, drawing the flying Noise away as their attention was drawn to the blaring waves from his Symphogear as his new resolve equated a new song, a smile not breaking from his face as his sword cleanly sliced through another, Ritsudo skidding to a stop on the top of the tower and batting aside another, rushing from the edge and back into the air, the wings of light on his back flapping to lift him back high into the air.

" _It feels different now… the weight of the Gear, the sword, even how easy it is to fly! I really had been missing something… but that's different now!"_ Ritsudo stopped himself in the air and let himself fall back as he let out a laugh, raking his sword along a merged flying Noise, dodging the charge of another with a quick move through the air, a gasp leaving him when the weightless feeling faltered, the wings on his back returning to the form of a scarf, dropping him into free fall, "Already?! It's been that long?!"

" _Does that matter? You want my powers to be a hero, to fight and do what your heart says is right. Why should some flimsy time limit matter to you?"_ Kusanagi's voice reached him again as he fell, Ritsudo chuckling as he smiled wider.

"Yeah! To hell with limits, this isn't some Icarus story! I still haven't flown high enough! Again Kusanagi… let me fly!" Ritsudo reached his hand out towards the sun above, closing his open hand around the image of it, again the scarf flaring out into wings as his voice picked up the song again, righting him out with a burst in the air and lifting him upwards once more, Ritsudo dashing back into the fight and blasting through multiple Noise in a series of blows as he shot around the area of the tower. "Hehhe, it feels so easy now. Heh, about time you went all out for real ya' damn shiv!"

" _I'd prefer you stop calling me that."_

"Hey you earned the nickname, don't knock it." Ritsudo replied, looking back to the tower, clicking his tongue at the damage done to it, "That's bad. Hope Hibiki and Miki got someplace safe."

"Ritsuuuu!"

"Oh goddammit!" Ritsudo let out a little growl, shooting down as Hibiki's yell reached him, the girl in free fall down the side of the tower, Ritsudo swooping through and catching her, streaking down to the ground and landing with a flap from his wings, the light returning to the scarf form as he landed lightly, "What the hell happened?! I told you and Miku to get somewhere safe!"

"Well… we _were_ on the way there, but, some debris fell and stuff and… well…" Hibiki murmured, "Miku had a grip on me, but she'd have just been pulled down, so I let go. I… admittedly didn't think this all the way through."

"Your impulsiveness amazes me." Ritsudo remarked, Hibiki hopping down from the princess carry, "What was your plan?!"

"Well… I thought of using my Symphogear since it'd be able to take the fall… but then I panicked a bit and called out for you on instinct." Hibiki said, putting a hand behind her head, then getting serious, "But, Miku is still up there, we have to go get her!"

"On it!" Ritsudo nodded, about to launch into the air again, but he froze dead when the area Hibiki had fallen from went up in flames, a tower of smoke billowing from the area before another explosion burst from it, Hibiki's face in total shock, "No…"

"Mikuuuu!" Hibiki's face was pure terror as she scream pierced the air, Ritsudo gritting his teeth and shooting upwards to the smoke, swiping it aside with a swing of his blade and landing amid the wreckage.

"Miku!" Ritsudo shouted out, looking around area, his hands tightening up, "Goddamit, answer Miku! Where the hell are you!"

But, not a trace of the girl was to be found as Ritsudo went back to the edge, a growl leaving his throat before it turned into an enraged scream, his glare turning to the Noise left in the air.

"I'm taking all of you down!"

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ahh man this was a long time in the waiting but damn it was worth it! New college schedule is kicking me in the freaking teeth combined with work but I will persevere! This arc is gonna be freaking great!**


	29. G Stanza XIII

Symphogear Trill G

 **Stanza XIII: Shifting Tide**

Wings of light flashed out as Ritsudo shot from the smoke and blasted past the circling Noise, trails of energy following after him as his blade continued to flash through the air, nothing short of an enraged roar leaving his throat as he shot upwards, his blade slicing through a fortress type Noise with ease, the beast falling from the sky in two as it faded into ash, Ritsudo panting as he turned in the air to watch it, gritting his teeth as he looked at the scene of destruction below him.

"Every single time with these godforsaken things… all they ever do is take!" Ritsudo gripped his blade tighter as he let himself drop down, the air howling around him as he fell, spinning around and cutting through the Noise that dashed at him, his spinning again and skidding to a stop on the top of the tower, and when he turned to shoot off again, the flash of bullets raking upwards through the swarm, looking down past the swarming shots to Chris down below, the girl's expression absolutely livid as she tore through the Noise.

" _What'll you do?"_ Kusanagi asked, Ritsudo giving a small huff.

"That's obvious." Ritsudo said, jumping down from his perch and to the ground, flying past the storm of shots with his blade trailing light behind it as he slashed, Chris gasping in surprise when he skid to a stop near her, the mask over his face retreating to reveal that confident smile being back on his face as he turned to her, "Yo!"

"Ritsu?! What… how? You're not even in X-Drive!" Chris' eyes were stuck on the still formed wings, almost stammering, Ritsudo sighing as he stood straight.

"I'll explain that later. But, let's take these things out faster! You with me?" Ritsudo turned and swiped his sword, Chris taking a moment before nodding, facing the Noise again as she readied her gatling guns.

" _ **OVERLAY!"**_

 _ **(Start song "Mask" by Aqua Timez, sung by Ritsudo and Chris)**_

With a flare of his wings, Ritsudo shot into the air again with a burst of light like falling feathers trailing after him, Chris stuck staring for a moment as the completed link flooded her mind, shaking her head as she took aim and fired, her shots perfectly trailing Ritsudo's flight pattern as he waved across the skyline, gritting her teeth as she did.

" _It's warm… these emotions coming from him. How, how can Ritsu go from looking so lost to being so sure of himself like that?"_ Chris' racing thoughts fell to that as a volley of missiles launched from the ports on her armor, filling the sky with balls of flame, _"And am I just missing something? This kind of thing… I'm the one who activated the Staff of Solomon. Does everything always end up being my fault?"_

It was the scream that got Ritsudo's attention as he drifted back, missiles popping up behind her and being let loose, Ritsudo diving out of the way as the missiles plowed into the two remaining carrier types, a flash of his sword cutting down more of the remaining swarm as he looked down to the panting Chris.

" _She's putting all of this on herself when she doesn't need to. Tch, I've told her… she doesn't need to bear this alone!"_ Ritsudo gave a shout as he charged forward with phantom swords behind him, words of the song ringing out from him as he dashed forward.

" _We only hope that one day, eventually, our words would reach their destination!"_

Ritsudo skid to a stop on the ground as the last of the Noise fell around him, his wings reverting to their scarf form as he stood and swiped his blade, looking to Chris as she continued to breath heavily, then back to the tower, the smoke from it beginning to vanish.

"One of these days… one of these days disasters like this will stop." Ritsudo murmured, his open hand clenching tightly, "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

The area around the tower was dead silent besides the chattering of the officers and the sirens as people were taken out, Ritsudo wandering among the cars and past the ruined ground, scanning around for Hibiki, eventually spotting the shape of the girl in one of the black cars, going around to the other side and opening the door. It didn't even take a word from him, but Hibiki was staring at her hands with an expression all too close to being easily called dead.

"Hibiki?" Ritsudo took the other seat and shut the door, Hibiki not responding, and as Ritsudo opened his mouth to speak, he shook his head as he stopped before saying more, _"No, not that. There's nothing for me to say sorry about. This isn't something for me to feel guilty over…"_

"I should never have let go." Hibiki murmured, Ritsudo glancing at her, "I should have held onto Miku's hand."

"Don't put the fault onto yourself Hibiki." Ritsudo said, not getting so much of a look, "You only make things more painful when something happens that was out of your control and you blame yourself. I didn't see Miku when I went up there… If I were you, I'd stay optimistic… heh, besides, she'd just chew you out for acting like this."

"But what if she isn't?" Hibiki muttered, her voice choking up, Ritsudo looking at her as she girl's hands tightened against one another, "If Miku is gone… what am I supposed to do?"

"Keep moving forward." Ritsudo said, Hibiki finally looking at him as she had tears in her eyes, "The worst thing you could do is stop in your tracks and cease moving. Don't just subscribe to the idea you lost your best friend so easily. You're not that kind of person. You're the kind of person who doesn't need to wear a mask over their heart. So, I'll say it again… keep moving forward. Don't let yourself stop for even a moment."

It was a following action that made Hibiki feel odd for a moment. The gentle, reassuring smile Ritsudo had and the friendly pat to her head that made it feel like something in her jumped for a moment, and a wistful smile came to her face as Ritsudo's hand pulled back.

"You don't wear a mask either." Hibiki said, Ritsudo tilting his head, "Chris-chan is lucky, having you for her partner. You're so nice… always going out of your way to help people."

"Don't forget we were partners for almost half a year. And, well… it's just what I wanna do." Ritsudo said, leaning back a bit on the seat and stretching a hand out in front of him, "If I see someone who needs help in front of me, then I want to help them with my own hands. Because what I want to be… I want to be a hero. Not the type you get in manga or anime though… a real one, that does the right thing no matter what."

"A hero, huh?" Hibiki hummed, thinking back to the moment in the tower, a chuckle coming from the girl, "I wonder what happened to me having to help you out when you were all down."

"I guess you could say I'm returning the favor now." Ritsudo said, giving a small chuckle, then flinching a bit when Hibiki slid over and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Do you mind? I just… need to lean on someone for a moment." Hibiki said, Ritsudo giving a nod as he relaxed a bit, glancing out of the window and back out to the still smoking tower.

" _I at least hope I'm right… you better be okay Miku. Hibiki needs you around."_

* * *

"NGH!" Maria's fist impacted with the window of the room the entire FIS group was gathered in in the VTOL, the young woman shaking in near unbridled anger, "I've stained my hands with blood. What hope is left for me, Serena?!"

"Maria, it was self-defense, it couldn't be helped." Oratorio said, Maria just gritting her teeth and barely holding back the pained wail, Oratorio giving a growl as he shoved his hands into his pockets, the kids turning to Natassja as she remained stoic.

"Mom, what happened at the tower?" Suiv asked, fiddling with the Staff of Solomon a bit. _"It was used recently… what's with that?"_

"I believe I can elaborate on that." Ver said, waltzing into the room rather casually, Suiv lifting a brow, "We believe that we should save as many lives as we can before the Moon falls in a decade, do we not? However, Natassja tried to sell us out to the Americans."

"Mom?!" Skalla yelped.

"Is that true?" Kirika asked, Oratorio glaring at Ver.

"And that's not all." Ver continued, "The story they told about Finé and Scortura's souls residing in Maria and Oratorio were nothing more than a grand deception. A charade born from the scheming of Natassja, Maria, and Oratorio."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, all of you." Maria murmured, Oratorio keeping silent as he fiddled with his pendant in his left hand, the four younger Gear users keeping quiet.

"They only told this tall tale to win my cooperation at first, before it was decided how my aid would be needed elsehow." Ver said, Suiv giving the man a baleful look, "Don't you think that this betrayal of yours is going too far? We had only just received the Nephilim's heart, and it was nearly lost to us forever."

"Wait a minute, so those Noise were your doing?!" Oratorio snapped, Ver snickering as he ran a hand through his hair, Oratorio growling as Suiv stepped off of where he was leaning.

"So basically, you're trying to turn the four of us against them and follow you, right?" Suiv said, his grip on the staff tightening.

"Suiv, just… Maria, Oratorio, is that true?" Skalla asked, though he already knew the answer, all four of them did, so Maria and Oratorio's nods of affirmatives weren't a surprise, and it was almost hard for it to be feigned.

"It's true. We are no hosts to Finé and Scortura." Maria said, Oratorio just giving a small sigh, "And we have been having second thoughts about the plan to save mankind."

"I'm not exactly on that boat myself." Oratorio added, "But… Mom tried to get the Americans to help us by sharing what we knew about the Frontier. Obviously enough, that didn't go over well."

"The Americans cared only about saving themselves." Shirabe said, Oratorio nodding as he ran a hand through his hair.

"And we stood against the world so that we could save as many people as possible!" Kirika said, Suiv and Skalla exchanging looks as they both let out long sighs.

"If those negotiations succeeded, we would've lost the upper hand. That's why you summoned those Noise there and laid waste to the surroundings, didn't you, Dr. Ver?" Natassja said, Ver giving a chuckle while Suiv clicking his tongue, his reaction showing anger towards himself in ways.

"Oh please, I _protected_ you from those wicked Americans using the Staff of Solomon." Ver said, Oratorio grabbing the man by his jacket.

"By going under our noses!" Oratorio snapped, "Our deal was you do as told, and one of those orders wasn't to use the Staff!"

"What would you have done then, stain your hands in blood to save those two?" Ver asked, though his confidence seemed to falter when Oratorio's grip only tightened.

"If it meant saving Maria, no, not just Maria, _anyone,_ I'd gladly stain myself red with the blood of hundreds." Oratorio's tone was flat and cold, Ver outright flinching back as he was let go of, Oratorio stepping back, "What happened there didn't have to. You dragged innocents into our affairs _again_ and broke our deal with your actions!"

"Of anything, Ver, all you've done is proven we can't trust you. Again." Suiv said, twirling the Staff onto his shoulders, "And that you're too dangerous to let loose. Maybe we should put _you_ in the cage instead of that girl they brought back."

"W-Wait…" Ver backed up, a twitching, nervous smile showing, "That's not how this was supposed to go…"

"You know I'm getting kinda sick of how easy this guy flips on a dime." Skalla muttered, sighing at how fast Ver's attitude changed the minute the situation no longer became in his favor, Skalla flipping his pendant around his hand and producing the twin swords, "Suiv?"

"Go right ahead." Suiv gave a nod as Ver began to scurry back, Skalla clanging his swords together and sending out a soundwave that slammed Ver into the wall, the man slumping down to the ground in a heap, Skalla stepping over and tapping the man with his foot.

"Out cold. Want me to take him to that cage so we can let that girl go?" Skalla asked, continuing to prod Ver with the end of his sword in amusement, Kirika stepping over with an amused look on her face as he did so.

"We'll handle that in a minute." Oratorio said.

"But… maybe he wasn't wrong about some things." Maria said, catching the attention of the others in the room, "You can't protect the world with half hearted devotion, we can't fulfill Serena's wishes like that."

"Maria, what are you…" Oratorio said, shaking his head, "What the hell are you on about?!"

"Only force… only through brute force can we maintain justice!" Maria said, Oratorio's eyes going wide in clear shock.

"No… that's wrong… justice through brute force? That's no better than a dictator!" Oratorio snapped, and now it was Maria's turn to look shocked, "Maria, how… how will achieving our goals through force achieve Serena's wishes for us? She wouldn't have wanted that, especially not from her older sister!"

"Oratorio is right." Shirabe said, "That kind of force would only be used to oppress the weak."

"That's not what we're fighting for… is it?" Skalla asked, his arms sagging as his swords reverted into the pendant.

"Very well." Natassja said, those not facing her turning to look at the woman, and they could see the elderly woman's hands tightening against one another in her lap, "This is the decision of Maria Cadenzavna Eve herself, and not the false Finé, I trust?"

"Mom, you're not serious?!" Oratorio snapped, Natassja giving him a stern look, "Mom! That kind of thinking is wrong and you know it!"

The only other answer came from Maria's set as stone expression, Oratorio's hands balling into fists, and then Natassja started coughing, the kids going to her immediately.

"Mom, you should rest, what happened today couldn't have been good for you." Suiv said, looking to Ver, "As for him…"

"I'll handle him." Oratorio said, picking up the still out cold Ver by his coat's collar, "Besides, we have a guest who deserves some better hospitality."

* * *

"We definitely could've afforded a better place." Ritsudo let out a small sigh as he traced his finger along the rim of the mug in front of him, Kyomei and Koto seated across from him in the booth of the small diner Chris had dragged the lot of them off to, said girl and Tsubasa just behind them in another booth.

"Well I guess we can just let Chris have this. She did decide to pay." Kyomei said, hanging his head, "Not that Tsubasa would take it… she doesn't eat past 9pm."

"How do you know that?" Ritsudo asked.

"We do kinda live together now." Kyomei said, Koto sighing as Ritsudo gleaned a smarmy smirk, the blue haired boy having walked _right_ into the trap of the white haired boy as he leaned on a hand.

"Live together eh? Well, you two are a pair of young adults after all. I wouldn't see it as too far fetched for you two to, I dunno, be doing what a pair of spry young adults like you two _would_ be doing." Ritsudo said, a teasing tone to his voice, Kyomei coughing and gagging on his drink, beating on his chest as he started hacking, his face horribly red as he looked up at Ritsudo's smug expression.

"W-We d-don't do that! I mean… it's not that the idea never came to mind and all… I mean we tried one time not too long ago but Tsubasa said it hurt so we… I've already said too much." Kyomei could only hang his head in embarrassed shame as he finally caught himself running his mouth, Ritsudo cackling to himself while Koto covered his mouth to stifle his own snickering, "Oh shut up!"

"Sorry sorry, but it was too easy! Besides… after that I think we all just need a good laugh." Ritsudo said, putting both of his hands on the mug, "You could do well to lighten up a bit too, Tsubasa-senpai!"

"Don't be a pest." Tsubasa muttered, Chris, amid slurping down he noodles she was eating, snickering at the young woman's blushing expression, Tsubasa clearly trying incredibly hard to remain stoic in the face of such embarrassing things, Kyomei leaning out into view.

"I'm really sorry." Kyomei murmured, clapping his hands together as he bowed his head.

"Ugh… it doesn't matter." Tsubasa grumbled.

"Well I mean it can. Between a couple if _it_ is done wrong it _could_ be a problem. Maybe you two should go to a seminar." Koto mused, Kyomei looking at him with a face as red as a tomato, Tsubasa clearing her throat.

"That's quite enough." Tsubasa sternly said, but despite it her embarrassment as showing as she stood up and sighed, "Kyomei, let's go."

"Ah, but, I'm not…" Kyomei muttered, sighing as he hung his head, "Fine. Sorry."

"Dude you are _so_ whipped." Ritsudo mused, Kyomei giving him a glare before he picked up the motorcycle helmet near him and followed after Tsubasa, Koto standing up too.

"I should go too. I'm gonna be helping with the search efforts tonight so I gotta go meet up with Ogawa." Koto said, trotting to catch up to Kyomei, and while Ritsudo didn't catch it, from the reactions he could guess it had _something_ to do with the earlier topic that was on hand.

"Ehehe, well, guess that's how it goes." Ritsudo moved over to the other booth, though the second he sat down, he felt an irksome twitch as he saw the utter _mess_ Chris had left. Sure her plate was rather clean, but scraps were all over it _and_ on the table, and her face still had sauce on it and even a small bit of sliced mushroom clinging to the corner of her mouth, "Seriously?"

"What?" Chris muttered, taking a sip from her own mug then muttering, "Ugh, that's bitter."

"Chris, we're in public darn it." Ritsudo muttered, grabbing some napkins, and to Chris' surprise, reached over and started cleaning the mess off of her face, "Seriously, being this messy in public is rude! You even left a mess all over the table!"

"Oh stop… fussing! What are you, my dad?" Chris grumbled, but not fighting back as Ritsudo kept cleaning.

"I feel more like a mom sometimes." Ritsudo said, balling up the napkins once he was done and setting them down, Chris rubbing her face, "But… I do kind of wanna talk about something. When we Synched today… why did you feel guilty about what happened?"

"Because I…" Chris said, letting out a breath, "I'm the one who activated the Staff of Solomon, and now it's being used to hurt people… no, it's _only_ been used to hurt people. If I just hadn't activated that damn thing…"

"Chris, there's no point shoving the guilt for all of it onto yourself." Ritsudo said, Chris looking to the side, "Sure, okay, you activated the Staff of Solomon… but it's not your responsibility to bear when someone else uses it for ill… honestly it's the only way a tool like that thing _can_ be used."

"Wow thanks for the vote of confidence." Chris snarked, Ritsudo snickering at the retort.

"It's not like you were in a position to consider the long term." Ritsudo stated, Chris again looking away, the young man sighing, "Besides… I saw that moment. It crossed your mind during the Synch."

"Ah… oh." Chris muttered, "I forget that happens."

"It's not that hard of a thing to forget… but… honestly Chris, you don't need to put the burden on yourself." Ritsudo repeated, Chris sighing again, "But… I'll help you get it back from those FIS guys."

"EH?!"

"Well, if they're using it for bad then we just need to steal it back and shove it someplace where nobody can use it again. Hmm, maybe Genjuuro can jettison the thing into the Marianas Trench…" Ritsudo's face was completely straight as he said so, and from Chris' stunned expression, he caught that she wasn't even sure how to respond to something so wildly said in conjecture to his earlier statement, "I'm serious though. You don't have to deal with it by yourself. We're partners after all. I've got your back the whole way, 'kay?"

"Ah… uh, well… I mean… uhm…" From her stammering, Ritsudo chuckled as Chris showed a wide grin on impulse, "I… I guess if you want to, then whatever. Not like it's too big of a bother to me."

"Wow, ain't that a template. Trying to be all aloof, but that toothy grin of yours says otherwise." Ritsudo mused, Chris' face popping to red as she finally realized the shape her face was in.

"Muooohhh! Stupid stupid stupid! Shut up shut up!" Chris called out, Ritsudo laughing as she blushed furiously.

"Wow, you just pulled a Shana, I'm impressed." Ritsudo snickered, rubbing his nose as Chris seethed across from him for another moment more before she sighed.

"Ugh, I can't be mad at you…" Chris murmured, Ritsudo chuckling, "I'm really lucky, to know someone like you."

"Hm? I wouldn't really say lucky… I like helping people, and you're important to me."

"AH! Shut up, you keep saying embarrassing things! Stop saying stuff like that with a straight face!"

"Hahahaha. I'm just being honest, it's nothing to get embarrassed over." Ritsudo said, Chris balling her hands on the hem of her shirt, Ritsudo standing up, "Now come on, it's late, let's get home. If you're good I'll make that parfait you like when we get back."

"HUH?! When was that on the table?!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo already walking off, Chris scrambling to put her shoes back on as she bounced after him, "HEY! Come on wait up! Don't go so fast, you've got longer legs than me!"

"I'm not going fast, I'm just walking."

"Geez! You're insufferable!"

"Hehehehehe!"

* * *

"Geez this guy is heavier than he looks…" Oratorio gave a mutter as he dropped Ver on the floor of the storage bay of the VTOL, Ver letting out a groan but remaining out cold where he was, though to be safe about it, Oratorio had the man's arms bound in the case he _did_ wake up any time soon.

A dull hum also accompanied the space in the room, a faint violet glow coming from nearby, a cage that had _previously_ held the Nephilim, the "bars" lasers that had been meant to contain it. But rather than something like that, huddled in the center of the cage was Miku, scuffed up but otherwise totally unharmed from the earlier incident. The girl's eyes moved to look at Oratorio as he dragged Ver over then moved to a panel, deactivating the cage.

"Huh?" Miku hummed, Oratorio glancing at her.

"You can lave the cage." Oratorio said, "While we can let you out, we can't exactly take you back to Tokyo. Sorry about that… but we need to lay low."

Miku only nodded and stepped out from the cage, Oratorio dragging Ver into it and pulling off the binds, stepping back to the panel and reactivating the thing, the "bars" blinking back into view, Miku staring at the uncocious doctor as he stirred a bit.

"Why are you putting him in here? Isn't he your ally?" Miku asked, Oratorio scoffing.

" _Was."_ He corrected, Miku looking to the young man, "He's crossed one too many lines for us. We gave him a second chance, and he blew it by causing that Noise attack on the Tokyo Tower. If it wasn't for that you'd still be with your friends no doubt… then again it was also this guy's suggestion we even bring you here, so, again, sorry."

"Why did you save me?" Oratorio hadn't been expecting the apology to be taken, but, that question was a small surprise to him, and the young man hummed as he folded his arms.

"Because you were someone in trouble. Helping a person in need is the right thing to do… might as well be common sense." Oratorio answered, Miku showing a bit of surprise at the statement, Oratorio nodding, "Though… perhaps Maria was reminded of Serena seeing that scene."

"Serena?"

"Maria's younger sister… she died years ago, saving us from the Nephilim… she had to use her Swan Song to do it though, so…" Oratorio said.

"The Swan Song…" Miku murmured. She wasn't horribly knowledgeable about how the Symphogears worked, but she understood them well enough to know what the Swan Song was. "I see… well…"

"If you're going to say some kind of apology, then don't." Oratorio said, craning his head to look at Miku, "We're the enemies of the world after all… you don't need to feel sorry for us. I'll be sure you get to go home soon enough, but, well, for now you're going to be laying low with us. But, don't worry, you won't be hurt."

" _He's… actually rather nice."_ Miku only nodded despite the thought, Oratorio walking out of the holding bay then, Miku about to follow, but the sound of grumbling turned the girl's attention back to Ver in the cage, the man sitting up, and hidden away, his expression was downright _deranged,_ his mutterings almost incoherent, but spite was absolutely dripping from his voice.

And then the deranged look changed into a smile as he realized Miku was still in the room as she backed away, a scared expression on the girl's face.

"Ah, don't run little miss." Ver put on a kind tone and expression, Miku remaining silent as the man turned to her and sat up, "You know, he's lying. They brought you here to further their own plans."

"Huh?"

"Yes." Ver's smile had more to it though, a sense of dread and a kind of wild derangement just behind the feigned kindness, "Why else would the feared terrorists drag an innocent young girl to their hiding place?"

"I don't think I should trust you." Miku said, taking another step back, Ver adjusting his glasses.

"It'll be alright, let's just have a small chat… if you help me, perhaps I can help you as well." Ver said, Miku looking back to him, the man snickering, "Yes… a way to help save your ailing friend."

"A way… to help Hibiki?"

"Yes, precisely. _Help."_ Ver said, snickering again, _"Just watch your bunch of brats… I'll get back at all of you yet!"_

* * *

"So… that cinches it, doesn't it?" Skalla sighed as he tossed the washed sheets over the laundry line, Kirika nodding beside him while Suiv was on his tablet again, Shirabe folding what else had been taken down from the line.

"Maria really doesn't have Finé inside of her… which means one of us does instead." Kirika murmured, "Well… which means Shirabe is…"

"I mean, not that we're don't have some kind of plan for that, right? Shirabe?" Skalla looked over to the short girl, Shirabe nodding.

"Like I said, everything will be fine. And besides, Sui-kun is probably coming up with something right now." Shirabe said, picking up the basket of folded items, looking to Suiv as he kept tapping away, "Sui-kun…"

"I heard I heard." Suiv muttered, adjusting his glasses as he stood up, "And if traces _do_ show up, I do have something in mind."

"Really!?" Kirika shouted, Skalla shooting around in rapt attention as well, Suiv nodding.

"Ver's Anti-LiNKER. If an injected version of it is used, it can disable a Symphogear entirely." Suiv said, looking to Shirabe, "And since Finé takes over using Phonic Gain, minimizing it would keep her from awakening. But, this is more of a last measure, if it _does_ start to happen. But… something does oddly tell me it, might not really."

"What do you mean by that?" Skalla asked, Suiv shrugging.

"I don't really know. It just… feels like it." Suiv said, "But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious. Especially you Shirabe… you should try to keep your Gear use to a minimum."

"I know." Shirabe said, then looking down, "But… what's wrong with Maria? I wanted to help Maria, not Finé."

"Yeah, that's right." Kirika nodded.

"We were lonely crybabies. She and Oratorio were kind to us. They're both protectors of the weak, but now… Maria…" Shirabe murmured, thinking back to earlier and the discord that had risen between their parental figures.

"Honestly I'm not sure if we're the ones who can sort that out." Skalla said, putting his arms behind his head, "Oratorio and Maria are super close… if someone's going to get through to her… then I guess it would have to be him."

"But Skalla, we can't just leave it to Oratorio! He's strong yeah, but we shouldn't just leave everything to him." Kirika said, Skalla shaking his head.

"No no no, that's not what I meant!" Skalla said, Kirika tilting her head, Skalla letting out a dejected sigh, "It's not like I don't think we could help at all. I know we could. But… Oratorio is really important to Maria. It's like… uhm, man what can I compare this too?"

"I don't think it needs a comparison." Suiv said, "Just the understanding of the idea. But Kirika is right Skalla. Even _if_ Oratorio is the one who can get Maria back on track, it doesn't mean we can't do something to help her either."

"Ahh man, this is all such a mess!" Skalla muttered, grabbing at his hair.

"But we can make it work." Shirabe said, "If we just try, I know we can… Maria is suffering, so we have to help her however we're able to do so."

"Right! That's exactly what we have to do! If something is wrong with Maria, then we need to find out what and help get the old her back alongside Oratorio!" Kirika said, throwing a hand into the air then laying it down in front of her, "We're all in it together, right?"

"Heck yeah!" Skalla cheered, putting his hand over Kirika's, Shirabe following suit as she nodded, all three then looking to Suiv in expectation, the boy's glasses slanting.

"Uh… well, yeah, but…" Suiv muttered, staring at the layered stack of hands, then yelping when Shirabe poked him in the side… again, "OKAY FINE I'LL DO IT TO!"

"That's what it is!" Kirika laughed as Suiv stacked his hand atop Shirabe's, "We're gonna do out best, not only to help Shirabe stay herself, but also to get the Maria we know back! Ei ei oh!"

"Ei ei oh!" Skalla and Shirabe followed the cheer, through while the former was energetic the latter was deadpan as they all threw their hands up, and Suiv just sighed.

"You guys are ridiculous."

* * *

"What's this?" In Hibiki's hands was a typical transmitter like the ones everyone else had, but this one was dented and busted up, dirty from having been discarded, the other Symphogears around Hibiki and looking at the device.

"Miku's transmitter. It was retrieved from a location some distance from the Sky Tower." Genjuuro stated, Hibiki's eyes immediately lighting up while Ritsudo gave a chuckle as Genjuuro opened up relative data on the screen, showing the path the item no doubt took, "We analyzed its tracking data. Before it was disposed of, it moved away from the tower at a steady speed. Miku is _not_ dead. She was probably rescued by another party and is being held hostage."

"Judging from this data… maybe it was one of the FIS Symphogears." Koto said, turning to Hibiki, "Heh, well, you know what that means, yeah?"

"No more feeling sorry for ourselves! Jumpin' into action is the way to go!" Ritsudo said, snickering as he pat Hibiki on the back, "See? Told ya' there was a chance she was alive!"

"Right!" Hibiki nodded, Genjuuro then chuckling himself.

"Now then! Nothing's better for a change of mood than some exercise!" Genjuuro said, Ritsudo and Hibiki nodding as they both pumped a fist, Chris looked horrified, Tsubasa and Kyomei sternly nodded, and Koto cracked his knuckles.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Chris muttered.

* * *

"I was right!" Chris whined as she was barely keeping up with the rest of the group's run, more flailing about than actually running.

"Ah come on, it's just a run! If Kyomei is keeping pace then so can you!" Ritsudo said, despite the fact he was _ahead_ of everyone, step for step with Koto.

"I don't think anyone needs jabs at them right now!" Kyomei shouted, himself barely matching Tsubasa's own separate pace.

"And why is the geezer singing?!" Chris snapped, drawing actual attention to Genjuuro at the moment, "Heck what even _is_ this song?! Is he alright?!"

"It's from a Jackie Chan movie!" Ritsudo said, laughing when Hibiki joined in to it, "Hey, Koto-senpai, race ya' to the end of the river!"

"Hehehe, bring it then!" Koto suddenly took off at a much faster pace, Ritsudo only smirking as he shot off after him, Chris making a noise of shock as they started vanishing into the distance.

"What the hell is wrong with those two?" Chris muttered, grumbling as she pushed ahead when she started falling behind the ones _left_ from the other two shooting off, and the dots that they became reached the end of the river soon enough, the rest of the group catching up after a short while, Ritsudo sitting on the railing of the overpass while Koto had _somehow_ gotten on top of the nearby light pole, "Are we done?!"

"Far from it!" Genjuuro said, Chris giving a sound, "We'll split off into pairs now! Koto, Hibiki you're with me!"

"Got it!" Hibiki nodded, already following after Genjuuro, Koto leaping down from his perch, Chris looking at Kyomei and Tsubasa as they went the other direction, leaving Chris with the now deviously grinning Ritsudo as he flipped down onto the dirt path.

"Uh… is it too late to say I'm too tired to keep going?" Chris said, Ritsudo snickering as he folded his arms.

"That was just a short run."

"WE RAN FOR HALF AN HOUR!"

"It was also just cardio. Doesn't matter if you're a gunner, being in shape for battle is important!" Ritsudo jabbed a finger forward, Chris whining as she leaned on her knees.

"You and the geezer had to have planned this! I'm a gunner, I don't need to work out like this!"

"Being a gunner doesn't excuse you from being out of shape." Ritsudo said, Chris just giving a dejected noise, "So it's my job to get you _in_ shape. Can't have ya getting KO'd because someone got within melee range towards you again."

"True but this is still the worst!"

"What's the worst is how a short run wears you out so much."

"Shut up!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo snickering as he turned back around, "Oh come on, at least let me rest more."

"No brakes on this ride Chris." Ritsudo said, grabbing the girl by her wrist, "We've got a friend to save don't we? So no holding back on me, got it? We're going as far as we can without stopping!"

"H-Hey, wait a second, don't start pulling all of a sudden!" Chris shouted as Ritsudo started pulling her along, but then her eyes became fixated on the excited smile on his face, those silver eyes again burning with unbridled light, _"He and the others all shine so brightly… it's too warm for me here… but, maybe… maybe if I let myself stay beside him… maybe I can earn my place there."_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **We are gonna be getting into the good stuff from here! Can ya' taste it? That's the taste of a finale coming around the corner as we head into things! And it's gonna be EPIC!**


	30. G Stanza XIV

_Symphogear Trill G_

 _ **Stanza XIV: Melodies over the Sea**_

The FIS VTOL moved freely over the flat waters of the resting sea, it's destination again the site of the Frontier structure, and within the cockpit, the Symphogears of the group were gathered, though to the slight unnerving of the four kids, Oratorio and Maria were dead silent in their seats, like the separation caused by the controls was representative of the divide recently caused between them.

"How's mom?" Kirika asked, hoping to break the pervasive silence that was hanging in the air.

"She needs to rest." Maria said, "Along with exhaustion, her symptoms are progressing."

"How? We stopped Ver's slow poisoning." Suiv said, Maria not giving an answer, the boy sighing, "But if that's true, then we can't waste time, can we?"

"This time we may just manage it… maybe." Oratorio murmured, glancing over to Maria, then looking to the monitor as an alert went off, the screen showing a ship tailing them, "An US patrol ship? How the hell did they find us?"

"They couldn't have been tracking us could they?" Skalla asked, "What should we do about them?"

"We don't have a reason to attack them, if they do…"

"No." Maria's voice cut through Oratorio's speech, the young man looking to her with a raised brow, "It may be the perfect demonstration to show our power to the world."

"What?! Maria, you're saying we should… I know they attacked us at the tower but we don't have a reason to! Even just one Symphogear is too much for normal humans! We can't do this!" Oratorio said, Maria looking at him with a hard glare, "Maria!"

"I… We are Finé." Maria said, her tone firm, cold even, "We shall bring an end to the world in which the strong control the weak. I shan't fear to tread this path."

"That's not why we did this." Oratorio muttered, his hands gripping onto the controls even tighter.

"Suiv." Maria looked back to the young man, and he couldn't help but flinch as he knew what was coming next, "Use the Staff."

"But…" Suiv stopped as Maria's firm look bored into him, a hand balling into a fist, the other's looking at him with concern on their faces as he bit his lip, "Fine…"

* * *

The alarm blaring got the attention of the waiting members of the 2nd Division immediately, alerts already popping up on the monitors even deep below the sea as the mobile base sought the target of FIS.

"Noise pattern detected!"

"A US patrol ship is broadcasting an SOS!"

The screen then changed to show the under attack carrier, Genjurro standing.

"It's near this location! We'll head there immediately!" Genjuuro ordered, Tsubasa already turning.

"We'll assist them, Kyomei, let's go!" tsubasa said, Kyomei nodding and following her out.

"Tsubasa-san, Kyomei-san, I'll go too-"

"Hold it! Are you trying to get killed?!" Chris grabbed Hibiki as she turned, though rather than irritation, it was worry that was on her face, "Stay here, okay? You can't leave us. Please."

"Don't worry, we'll handle it." Ritsudo said, tapping Hibiki on the shoulder, Chris fixing Hibiki's tie since her yanking had loosened it, "Four'll be more than enough! Koto-senpai, keep her safe!"

"Gotcha." Koto waved the others off as they dashed out, patting Hibiki on the shoulder as she held an arm, "Don't feel bad, it'll be fine."

* * *

"It's done…" Suiv entered back into the cockpit, the Staff of Solomon in one hand, and his grip on it was tight enough one could see the blood coming from his palm where his nails had begun to dig into the skin, Shirabe looking from the running rivulets moving down the staff and over to Maria, who'd bit her lip hard enough a small bit of blood was visible on it.

"Is this what you want, Maria?" Shirabe asked, Maria keeping her gaze held forward, "To protect the weak, is this truly what you have to do?"

All that Shirabe got as an answer was a forced smile, Shirabe turning and dashing out of the room, Oratorio looking back at the kids as they followed her out, and when the other three caught up to Shirabe, it was near the exit hatch, and before anything, Suiv threw aside the Staff as a disgusted grimace came to his face.

"Shirabe, what are you doing?!" Kirika said, grabbing Shirabe's shoulder as the girl opened the door.

"If Maria and Oratorio are suffering, I'll going to help them." Shirabe said, her eyes trailing to Suiv's still bleeding hand, and then she jumped.

" _Fallian Shul Shagana tron!"_

"I'll go after her." Suiv said, wincing as he put his hurt hand on the edge of the door, looking back to Skalla and Kirika, "I'm her partner, it's my job!"

" _Aura Carwennan tron!"_ Suiv's voice rang out as he jumped from the VTOL, his gear flashing into form on his body as he fell, Kirika staring down as one of her hands tightened, her nails scraping against the metal of the wall.

"Kirika, they should be fine." Skalla said, Kirika not looking back, "I mean… if there is trouble, then we do have this."

Kirika looked back at Skalla as he reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like one of their LiNKER syringes.

"What is that?" Kirika said, Skalla adjusting the item.

"Anti-LiNKER, but in an injectable form. Suiv said it can immediately cut a connection between a user and their Gear to disengage it." Skalla said, Kirika staring at the item, "Kirika, you're not thinking of…"

"I'm sorry!" Kirika said, grabbing the in injector from Skalla then jumping, the boy running to the door as she did, and then he looked back when he heard the sound of something moving, along with familiarly deranged chuckling.

"Well now, _that's_ why the boy wanted to know how to make Anti-LiNKER too hmm?"

"H-How?" Skalla turned around to see Ver wiping the still somewhat blood covered Staff off, "How did you get out of that cage?!"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know." Ver said, aiming the staff at Skalla, the boy's eyes going wide as a mad smirk split across Ver's face, "What'll it be, huh brat?"

"Ngh…" Skalla bit his lip as he looked back, Ver chuckling as he shifted the Staff, Skalla stepping back and dropping, Ver lowering the staff and looking out as the FIS kids were now all descending.

"Farewell you useless twerps!" Ver shouted, looking to the cockpit as he closed the door, "Now… for those two."

* * *

 _ **(Start song "Oukyo – Shul Shagana" sung by Shirabe)**_

As Shirabe and Suiv dropped to the surface of the ship, the Noise on the deck were immediately beset by both launched buzzsaws and the beams fired from Suiv's controlled daggers, the two landing back to back on the deck as the Noise began coming closer to them, the two zipping around as they sliced and blasted their way through the Noise around them, their stride unbroken until almost all of them were cleared away.

"Look out!" Suiv shouted, deflecting the slash from a Noise that tried to get Shirabe from behind, wincing as he gripped a dagger with his left hand, the moment of brief pause however being saved as the Noise was cut down, Kirika's scythe lodging into the deck, the girl landing on the weapon smoothly, "Kirika?!"

 _ **(stop song)**_

"Kiri-chan, thank-" Shirabe stopped dead when Kirika took out the injector she'd swiped from Skalla and pressed it to her neck, the red Anti-LiNKER shooting from the vial into Shirabe, the girl stumbling back at the sudden feeling of weight on her as the effects began kicking in. "Wh-What did…?"

"Kirika, what the hell?! Why do you have that?!" Suiv snapped, catching Shirabe as she stumbled back, Skalla landing on the deck next, a grimace on the boys face that soon turned to shock as she saw the scene in front of him. "Skalla what's going on?!"

"I didn't plan on this! I just showed it to her just to be safe and then she grabbed it!" Skalla said, Kirika letting out a breath.

"My Gear isn't holding." Shirabe said, her armor bursting into light as she almost went limp, Suiv keeping her held up as she breathed heavily from the sudden loss of connection.

"I'm sorry." Kirika dropped the injector, the hand that had been holding it balling into a fist, "It's just… when I think about how Finé might take control, I can't bear it… I can't bear the thought of losing you Shirabe!"

"Kiri-chan… I said, it would be fine." Shirabe said, Kirika looking to the side.

"But what if it isn't fine?! What if it does happen?!" Kirika said, Skalla looking back up to the VTOL.

"Kirika, I know this is kind of a big deal but right now, but Oratorio and Maria might be in trouble!" Skalla said, the others looking at him in surprise, "Ver… I don't know how, but he got out and he has the Staff with him!"

"What?!" Suiv gasped, gritting his teeth, "We have to do something then… we have to get back up there before…"

But before he could finish that, two bursts shot from the water, a pair of rockets shooting upwards, the sides splitting off and Ritsudo, Chris, Kyomei, and Tsubasa leaping from the vehicles and onto the deck, Tsubasa going for Kirika while Ritsudo went at Skalla, Chris separating Suiv and Shirabe and pinning the latter while Kyomei backed Suiv to the wall.

"Whoa whoa, hold on a second!" Skalla shouted, blocking Ritsudo's slashes with his twin swords as Kirika dove out of the way of Tsubasa's attacks.

"Is Ver not here?!" Chris snapped, tightening her grip on Shirabe a bit, "Where's the user of the Staff of Solomon!?"

"We can explain that!" Suiv said, putting his arms up as Kyomei gave him a curious look, Ritsudo and Tusbasa looking to the boy as they had Skalla and Kirika stopped at the points of their blades while holding their respective foes' weapons down.

"Then do it." Kyomei said.

* * *

"Damn." Oratorio clicked his tongue as the feed of the fight showed with the capture of the kids, though he and Maria couldn't hear what was being said down there… then the sound of the door sliding open came through.

"Well look at that, they were caught. How predictable." Ver said as he sauntered in, Oratorio shooting up and grabbing his pendant as the doctor smirked at him, the Staff wavering about in his grip.

"How?!" Oratorio snapped, Ver chuckling despite the snarl being aimed at him. "Answer me now!"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out soon. But shouldn't we tip the scales a bit?" Ver said, Oratorio blocking his path when the man went for the controls.

"Like hell I'm trusting you again! Put the staff down now or I'll take it by force, even if it means killing you!" Oratorio snapped, flames already bursting from his hand as his grip around his pendant tightened.

"Ohh? I thought you'd _want_ to help those children who're so dear to you!" Ver said, his wild smirk just earning more of Oratorio's ire, and he raised his fist to strike, though as he did, Maria shot up and got between him and Ver, Oratorio's eyes going wide as his fist stopped dead before he could move it.

"Stop! We can use this!" Maria said, Oratorio's look utterly bewildered, "To raise the Frontier and achieve our goals… we can use the Doctor's help."

"Are you insane?! He was poisoning Mom and he tried to kill innocents, and he caused the disaster at the Tokyo Tower! We can't trust him! There's no point in achieving our goals if it means working with someone like him!" Oratorio snapped, but Maria stood firmly in her place, Oratorio's arm shaking as he began to lower it, his teeth grinding against one another in a harsh grimace seething with nothing but fury as his eyes burned at Ver's smug expression. "Is this _really_ your answer?"

"In order to achieve our goals, yes." Maria said, Oratorio shuddering as he let out a shaky breath, his eyes shadowing over as his arms sagged, and as he moved past Maria, she could barely contain the flinch as she saw that despite the firm look on his face, tears were beginning to streak down Oratorio's cheeks.

"Please… just stop and open your eyes Maria… it doesn't have to be this way." Oratorio said, Maria not turning around as he passed her, but her hands tightened into fists as she bit her lip, Oratorio letting out a heavy breath before leaving the room, Ver chuckling as he stepped past Maria to the control panel.

"Now that that's dealt with, let's tip the scales back the other way!" Ver snickered, adjusting his glasses with a small move, "In the most dramatic way possible. In the most romantic way possible!"

"You aren't going to…" Maria said, Ver pressing a few buttons on the main panel, a feeling of dread starting to come to the young woman…

* * *

" _Rei Shenshou Jing rei zillz!"_

The obvious activation call shocked everyone on the deck as a flash of light shot through the air, the impact of whoever it was kicking up dust all around those present to witness, and shock slowly came across the faces of the onlookers as they saw both the Symphogear _and_ it's user.

Floating just above the impact area through the bulky leg armor, a white suit marked in shades of purple both dark and light, and a sinister headpiece with a visor almost like a marrow, Miku Kohinata's eyes opened to reveal lightless shading to the normally bright orbs.

"What the… no way…" Ritsudo muttered, his eyes going wide before his jaw clenched in a grimance, "What the hell is going on here?!"

* * *

"You're using the Shenshou Jing as her Gear, aren't you?"

Maria looked over to the other side of the controls as Natassja rose up into the spot in her chair, Ver only looking smug as the woman looked back at him.

"Mom, you need to stay lying down!" Maria said.

"We require it to break the seal, but it has the power to deceive the heart." Natassja continued, looking back to Ver with a small glare, "You put her up to this, didn't you? It's the only way you could have escaped."

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same if I wasn't around." Ver said, only earning a harsher glare, but the silence said he wasn't wrong either, "And I simply used it at the appropriate time. It seems that girl you brought is the best friend of fusion-syndrome patient #1."

"All the students who attend Lydian are potential Symphogear users, both Harmonic and Tuner." Natassja said. "In other words, you used your LiNKER and forced her to become a wielder, without understanding anything?!"

"That isn't _quite_ right." Ver said, "If just injecting LiNKER into someone made them a Symphogear wielder, it would be the easiest thing in the world! We could make dozens of hundreds!"

"Then how…"

"It was love!" Ver said, "Well, and maybe some resentment… but even then, one can say hatred itself is a form of love!"

"Where did love come from?! And hatred, what of that?!" Natassja gasped, Ver snickering as he put a hand over his eyes.

"The LiNKER connected her desire for her friend not to fight anymore and the resentment of the boy she fears is pulling her friend away with the Senshou Jing! So beautiful, isn't it?!"

"You truly are insane…" Natassja growled, and Ver gave another chuckle.

"Ah yes, now may also be the perfect time to add I deployed Noise onto the smaller ships around the carrier. Their crews are now my hostages! So I suggest if you wish to save some lives, you don't interfere and let this run it's course, so that we can raise the Frontier and save humanity!" Ver cackled as he threw his arms up, Maria biting her lip again as Natassja couold only glare at Ver as his mad laughter continued…

* * *

Parts of the Gear cladding Miku shifted around and opened, two ribbons shooting from the shoulder parts as a metal, fan like Armed Gear formed in her right hand, and an odd hum shot through the air, Miku giving a nigh inhuman scream that matched the sound.

"This is just wrong." Ritsudo grit his teeth more as the grip on his sword tightened further, Chris in a similar state of shock and anger as him.

"Why is she dressed like that?" Chris growled.

"Shenshou Jing… it's the Relic we were going to use to raise the Frontier, the object we're here for." Suiv said, "We had it in the form of a Symphogear to make channeling it easier… but… the plan wasn't to actually _use it_ as one except as a last resort."

"That wielder is expandable, created using LiNKER." Shirabe said, Chris looking at the restrained girl, "Since her creation was faster than ours, she'll break even more easily…"

"What the hell?" Chris muttered, Ritsudo's arm now visibly shaking, Skalla backing away _just_ a bit as it caused the sword to hover a bit _too_ close.

"We've confirmed the safety of the missing Kohinata Miku, but…"

"Tsubasa that's anything _but_ safe!" Kyomei cut in, Tsubasa biting her lip.

"'Safety?!' You call that safe! Then what are we supposed to tell the dummy!" Chris snapped.

* * *

"None of this is right…" Koto's hands were clenched as he stared at the feed showing Miku to the rest of the 2nd Division, and he looked at the silent Hibiki, "I could be wrong about this… but even with the effects of LiNKER… no… but, those eyes… something about this is off. She just looks… dead, like she's not actually the one in control."

"What do you mean by that?" Genjurro asked, Koto putting a hand on his chin.

"I'm not to sure on it… but there's a chance Kohinata is being manipulated by something… if she did this willingly, then she would've come back to our side… tch, damn that doctor! I'm heading out!" Koto shot around as he grimaced, Hibiki watching him leave with the heavy steps, turning back to the feed as her hands balled up.

* * *

The headpiece closed into a glaring visor over Miku's eyes, and she shot forward with blinding speed towards the others, her Gear letting her hover just above the surface of the ship, Chris releasing Shirabe as her crossbows formed.

"This is my job! Ritsu, let's go!" Chris shouted, Ritsudo nodding as he released Skalla.

 _ **(Start song Bye Bye Lullaby)**_

Chris dodged the first attack from Miku, a violet colored beam, and let loose with a storm of energy arrows, Miku shooting past them and off the ship to the water below, Ritsudo taking off as his scarf burst into their wing form, his visor locking down as he shot over the water after Miku, his blade clashing with Miku's weapon as he shot in for strikes as they streaked over the water, dodging past her attempt to shoot at him as Chris kept raking across the water with her Gatling guns after moving to one of the smaller ships, shots getting past the lack of defense and slamming the Gear as Ritsudo made openings, Ritsudo being sure that any blow he landed in turn was with the flat of his sword, giving chase when Miku shot off the waters again.

" _I don't want to do this, but what the hell choice do we have?! At least I can minimize the damage we're doing until we figure something out… there has to be a way to disengage her Gear."_ Ritsudo thought, landing between Miku and the others as the girl landed back on the deck, Chris above the two, missiles launching as she kept the suppressing fire up, and as the missiles impacting Miku's armor, Ritsudo led off with a burst of energy from his sword that slammed Miku down onto the deck.

 _ **(End Song)**_

Ritsudo approached the impact zone and the downed Miku, his eyes set on the visor as it shimmered, reaching for it with a slow, careful hand.

" _You should treat girls more gently."_ Ver's voice came from the device, Ritsudo flinching as a glare came to his face, Chris approaching as well, _"If you try to violently remove her Gear, the connected terminal may damage her brain. Though you should also consider your own part in this, Kusanagi boy!"_

"Sick son of a bitch! What did you do to her?! And what are you prattling on about!?" Ritsudo shouted.

" _I'd be careful if I were you!"_ Ver said, and as he did, Miku rose back up, her fan opening.

"Dodge, Yukine, Narukami!" Tsubasa shouted, the other two weaving past the storm of beams that shot from the opened fan, skidding back with screams in the metal of the deck.

 _ **(Start song "Waikyou Shenshou Jing")**_

"You're still trying this crap?!" Chris shouted, Miku's fan closing and slipping back into her sleeve with a small flick, parts of the leg armor opening up as the air burst, fanning outwards and into a circular formation, specks of light drawing into the circle as it began pulsing with light that grew brighter and brighter, "Then I'll use my reflectors!"

"Everyone get back!" Ritsudo shouted, energy bursting from Kusanagi as he took a defensive stance while the skirt armor on Chris' gear opened up and deployed a multitude of mirror like shards, the beam that fired from Miku's gear impacting the double layered barrier the two had formed, Ritsudo gripping his sword as he was near immediately pushed back while the beam split across the reflectors and the barrier, the redirected shots tearing through the rear end of the ship, but the main beam was still being sustained against the barrier.

"We have to go now, before that thing erases the Gears!" Suiv shouted, grabbing Shirabe as he moved, Kyomei and Tsubasa looking at him.

"What do you mean by that?!" Tsubasa shouted.

"No time to explain, just move!" Suiv snapped.

" _The Ichaival's reflectors reflected the shot that blew off part of the moon."_ Chris thought, she and Ritsudo now straining against the beam, _"I don't know what Relic that Symphogear was made from, but nothing it has couple possible…"_ and she grimaced, "So why am I being pushed back?!"

Further adding to it, Ritsudo was starting to see cracks along his blade, or rather a certain segment of it, and Shirabe in particular had her eyes stuck on the struggle as Suiv pulled her back.

"Innocent and fierce, a flood of power that wards off evil. This is the Shenshou Jing Symphogear." Shirabe said, Suiv still moving back.

" _My reflectors are being destroyed!"_ Chris grimaced as each reflector started being shorn away by the struggle, and she reached forward and grabbed Ritsudo, yanking him behind her, "We need to get away before these give out! You can still fly right?!"

"I don't exactly have a time limit on that any more, so I can get us away!" Ritsudo said, his wings bursting out on cue as he wrapped an arm around Chris, and as they both started being forced back, a familiar giant sword fell in front of them, Ritsudo taking the chance and shooting into the air, Suiv diving out of the way with Shirabe underneath him, Tsubasa and Kyomei shooting back as more giant swords continued to fall while the beam continued to rip through them in turn as they pulled Kirika and Skalla away.

" _If we slow down to dodge to the side we'll just get caught, we need to get up somehow!"_ Kyomei thought, and as the beam broke through another sword, rather than one more falling, a familiar large pillar dropped from the sky behind them, the beam stopping dead, a roar sounding in the air as a slamming sound went through the air, Kyomei looking back to see Koto adjusting his massively enlarged staff upwards, the beam it had stopped being sent skywards before finally dissipating, and once it was, Koto spun his staff back into a normal size, Ritsudo landing and letting Chris go.

 _ **(end song)**_

"All of you, retreat back to the base and take those kids with you! It'll be safer there than out here!" Koto said, Ritsudo stepping forward, though he didn't get a word out before Koto spoke again, "Narukami, I understand why you'd want to help, but that Relic is too dangerous."

"I know, but…" Ritsudo gritted his teeth as he gripped his sword more, and he looked down to it when he heard the sound of something hitting the ground, a befuddled look coming to him as he saw shards of the flat falling off on both sides, revealing a strange, reflective black segment reaching up the length of the blade until it started tapering off, and while it was also somewhat cracked and old looking, he could faintly make out, oddly enough, rectangular segments, "The hell? Is that a sound bar?"

"Please, just go and leave Kohinata to me." Koto said, looking to the FIS kids, "I promise the four of you won't be treated as prisoners if you go with them willingly."

"But… if we go, what about Oratorio and Maira? Ver is up there with them and Mom, and he has the Staff!" Skall said, Koto looking back to Miku as light continued to be drawn into the formed circle once more.

"I doubt we actually have time to think about that." Koto said, and then screaming carried out through the air, the others looking around to see Noise swarming about the other ships around them, Ver's mad cackling carrying out from the radio, "Ver!"

" _You're correct in assuming you don't have time! But do you truly think one Relic can beat out the Shenshou Jing? Do you even know what it does? That girl won't stop fighting no matter how many times you take her down either you know?"_ Ver mocked, Koto spinning his staff into a ready stance, _"Are you sure you want to fight one of your friends?! HUUH?"_

"Not that I want to, but Hibiki is my partner, so I'll be damned if I let a sick bastard like you use her best friend for something like this!" Koto looked back to the others even as the Noise began swaing about, Chris looking the angriest of them all while Suiv's hand was clenching, the boy specifically holding his left arm, the one he'd injured before. "All of you, do what I said and head back! Take out whatever Noise you can that gets in the way of you and the ship!"

"Come on, let's do what he said! You, the FIS lot, I don't care what you do, but he's right, you'll be safer if you come with us!" Ritsudo said, Chris already heading off and attacking the Noise from the air, the three Geared up FIS kids looking between each other, and Shirabe stepped in.

"Guys, they're right… we can't do anything without being able to get back up there. Our best bet is to go with them and avoid the Shenshou Jing… we can make a plan later." Shirabe said, the others taking a moment before nodding at her words.

"Fine then." Tsubasa said, Suiv picking Shirabe up as they began following the others, Kyomei looking back at Koto.

"Koto, you better come back!" Kyomei said, Koto chuckling as he leveled his staff.

"Don't worry about me you lot, I won't have a problem." Koto said, Kyomei nodding and jumping off, and Koto raised a brow when the circular formation closed, Miku then shooting off and over the water again, "NIMBUS!"

Koto slammed his staff into the deck, and as energy waves shot out, they then formed into a cloud like shape beneath his feet, the cloud hovering up before shooting off with a trail behind it, and from the sea the 2nd Divison mobile base rose up, Ritsudo stopping as the others leapt through the air to it, Chris landing and panting as she stopped her assault on the Noise, the boy putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Chris, that's enough, we should go back." Ritsudo said, Chris growling.

"But it's happening again! That damn staff… it's being used to kill people again, all because I activated it!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo sighing and pulling the girl into a hug, a small _clank_ sounding as their armors collided, Chris' eyes going wide in surprise.

"Stop blaming yourself. Remember what I said, we just need to get it back, and I'll help you do that. But for now, we need to make an actual plan… Koto-senpai can handle Miku. We'll cut down as many Noise as we can to make sure as few people die today as we can make sure of before we head back, alright?" Ritsudo said, his tone firm to match his set resolve as his grip on his sword tightened.

"Yeah…" Chris nodded, a single tear moving down her face, Ritsudo letting her go and facing the Noise, Chris turning and raising her guns again, "Let's tear these bastards up!"

"Let's go!" Ritsudo smirked as he shot into the air, and as their fight against the Noise started, those who'd fled to the 2nd Division shipped looked back to it.

"Should we help them?" Skalla murmured, Suiv setting Shirabe down as he looked back to the Noise being cut down.

"I'm not even sure if we're liable… we are technically still enemies." Suiv said, looking back as Tsubasa and Kyomei approached, Suiv putting his arms up as Skalla and Kirika took defensive stances, "Hold it you two."

"Koto said you two wouldn't be treated like prisoners, but this doesn't mean I trust you." Tsubasa said, "It was your group that caused this in the first place."

"We didn't know Ver was going to do that!" Kirika snapped, "We just wanted to try and save people… we didn't want this!"

"Then do the right thing." Kyomei said, the four FIS kids looking at him with wide eyes, "If you really want to save people, then do what you know is the right thing to do in this situation. I don't have to say it, do I?"

"No, you don't." Suiv said, relaxing his left hand, "Shirabe, you'll be alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine here. Just do what you need to, all of you." Shirabe said, looking between her three friends, all of them nodding, Kyomei showing a small grin as he nodded too.

"Alright then. There's plenty of Noise, so let's take them out." Kyomei said so as he flicked his weapons into their rifle form, all of the others nodding, "Extermination time!"

* * *

And meanwhile with Koto, he'd followed Miku onto one of the smaller ships, holding off on attacking as he followed her, trying to figure out what was up, why she'd fled the original combat zone.

" _Koto!"_ Sakuya's voice came over the line and grabbed his attention, _"The energy from Miku-chan's Gear has the ability to degrade any power derived from Relics."_

"So you're basically telling me to be cautious." Koto said, though as he paused, a sudden idea came to mind, but, he quickly moved it down, there was no way to assure it could even work at all..

" _Koto-senpai!"_ Hibiki's voice came over the comms next, Koto raising a brow, _"I had an idea! If it works that way, we can use the energy waves to disable Miku's Gear!"_

"That could work, but are you sure you can manage it?" Koto said, though all he got was a determined noise in return, and he sighed. "But what about you?"

" _Everyone else is fighting, and if someone can get through to Miku, it's me!"_ Hibiki said, Koto giving a small chuckle as he nodded.

"Alright… I'll draw Kohinata to the sub, I'll meet you there!"

" _Got it!"_

"Alright Kohinata… let's see what that Relic can do!" Koto charged off at Miku, the girl turning to him, and the sound of his staff colliding with her fan rang through the air across the entire ocean for them to hear…

* * *

With the Noise now all but taken care of complete, Ritsudo and Chris landed on the frontal bow of one of the ships as the other Symphogears continued t clean up the Noise that remained, and Chris could do nothing but stare as she looked around at the piles of ash and the carbonized bodies that had yet to actually crumble into dust completely, many with faces plastered into looks of terror as they desperately reached for a salvation that wasn't there, and Chris felt both disgust and guilt as she saw what remained of a hand grasping at a locket, the item showing a picture of the man that had been and his daughter.

"This is just terrible… no, that's not even enough." Ritsudo remarked, picking up the locket and gripping it tightly as his teeth ground together.

"I know… that's the cross I have to bear." Chris said, and she flinched when Ritsudo moved a hand over and grabbed one of hers, looking to him in surprise.

"But not one you have to carry alone." Ritsudo said, looking out to the waters as the fight between Koto and Miku carried them across the water, Koto's heavy strikes sending Miku flying as she tried to shear away at his Gear with blasts from her fan, "We have friends all around here who can help you… we'll get the Staff and end this, I promise."

"Thank you…" Chris murmured, her grip on Ritsudo's hand tightening up.

* * *

Miku drifted away from the confrontation with Koto, drifting up onto a ship, and stopping as the 2nd Division vessel drifted by, Hibiki standing atop the main tower of the vessel, Koto guinding himself onto the other end of it, but remaining below the two girls as the set his hand on the edge of the tower.

"Hibiki, I'll leave this to you, but I'll jump in if I need to, alright?" Koto called out, Hibiki nodding as she glanced down to him, then looking back at Miku.

"Let's go back together, Miku!" Hibiki said, Miku's gaze turning to her even behind the visor.

"I can't." The other girl's tone was decidedly flat, none of Miku's normal self in her voice, the visor opening and revealing her expressionless eyes, "I have something I have to do."

"Something you have to do?"

"He said the light from this Gear will shine upon a new world." Miku replied, Koto's look becoming cross, "It's a world without war, in which everyone can live in peace."

"A world without war…" Hibiki repeated, her hands balling up.

"I don't want you to fight." Miku continued, "So I'm going to make a world in which you don't have to."

"But, will a world you make in this way really be warm, Miku?" Hibiki questioning, shaking her head a bit, knowing that this entire situation was wrong, that these thoughts were in no way Miku's own, but, if they were, they were being taken too far, "The world I love most, is in the gentle sunlight, when you're with me, a world where…" she felt herself pause a bit there, shaking her head again.

"But it will be a world where you don't have to fight." Miku said, the point obviously not getting through to her, Hibiki closing her eyes as she sighed, her gaze becoming resolute.

"Even if I have to fight you, I won't let that happen!" Hibiki said, Miku's look becoming flat.

"I don't want to let you fight." Miku said, Koto giving a sigh.

"There's not really a choice in this situation, Kohinata." Koto stated.

"Thank you." Hibiki's hands had balled into fists, shaking now, but her decision was set, "But, I'm going to fight!"

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

 _ **(start song "Rainbow Flower")**_

As the two friends shot into the air and began their clash among Gears, Koto pressed his hand to his headset.

"How much time does Hibiki have?" He asked.

" _Two minutes and forty seconds."_ Genjurro replied, the man's voice tense, and Koto clicked his tongue in a bid of annoyance.

"That's not a lot of time, but, this is HIbiki we're talking about, she'll pull through somehow." Koto said, and the heat from HIbiki's body was already starting to move through the air in a way that could be felt even a distance away, the fight leading back into the air as Hibiki batted Miku back with rapid blows, Miku then going for straight beam attacks, the beams shooting through the air in a storm.

Koto, his eyes now on the FIS VTOL, spotted it launching items, more and more reflectors flying into the air and catching the beams from Miku's attacks, but even that didn't deter Hibiki and she continued to dodge past each one with bursts in the air following her steps, but as she continued, Koto grimaced as crystalline growths started appearing across her body, but he stopped himself from moving even then.

"No, this is her fight… I can't get in the way." Koto said, then sucking in a breath, "HIBIKI! You better come back alive you got that?! All of us, you're friends, are going to be waiting, and if you die on us then we'll just drag you back by force, understood?!"

"Don't worry… no matter how much it hurts… even if it kills me… I WON'T DIE!" Hibiki yelled past the pain that was shooting through her, and Miku herself let out a scream, her visor splitting open and tears spilling, Hibiki shooting past the myriad of bolts, _"Who's messing with Miku's body?!"_

Hibiki finally managed to break through the storm, tackling Miku in midair and shattering the circle around her.

"Let me go!"

"NO! I won't let you go! I'll never let you go!"

"Hibiki!" Miku reached an arm out as she screamed, more and more beams intersecting with all of the reflectors in the air, Hibiki turning and shooting back up before hitting the water, each step carrying her higher and higher as the reflectors formed into a solid formation above the water, heading right for the center of it.

"If that's the thing that thing can erase Relics…" HIbiki said, directly in the line of the reflector aiming towards the sea, "Then take it off, Miku!"

As the beam fired, Hibiki got her and Miku directly in the line of it, the concentrated energy ripping through both of their Gears, shearing the armor from their bodies but leaving the girls untouched, the device on Miku's head also shattering along with the Relic.

But what also occurred with it, as Koto shot into the air on the nimbus to catch both falling girls, was that the last reflector shot the energy down and into the sea, following it being a pillar of light bursting into the air, light shining all across the ocean itself, and from the deck of the submarine base, all the other Symphogears stared in shock as they witnessed the waves beginning to break.

"What the hell is that?!" Ritsudo said, Suiv stepping forward as the surface of the sea broke apart, rising from it being a massive set of ruins that began towering over everything.

"That is the Frontier… the landmass we came here to raise." Suiv said, a hand clenching tightly, "They did it…"

"Frontier?" Kyomei murmured, staring out at the ruins that were continuing to rise, and on the surface of it's structures, he could spot things moving, his visor falling into place and zooming in, revealing the shapes to be golems of some sort, automatons that began moving about the area, "This has just taken an entirely new turn…"

"And we're nowhere near done, are we?" Ritsudo muttered.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

 **And now the Frontier arc and final stretch begins! Oh the changes in store, the butterfly effect is starting to kick in now ain't it? Well, this will most certainly be an entertaining ride to the finish line, heheh. See ya next time!**


	31. G Stanza XV

Symphoger Trill G

 **Stanza XV: Frontier**

The four FIS kids were silent in the room they'd been taken to within the 2nd Division base, Koto at the door as the kids remained silent, then he gave a sigh to break through the quiescence hanging in the air.

"Don't mope around so much. Like I said, we're not gonna treat you lot like prisoners. As far as I'm concerned, after helping the others take care of the Noise, we're on the same side now." Koto said, Suiv's hands balling up, but he notably flinched from his left hand, "Something the matter?"

"This is my fault…" Suiv muttered, Koto raising a brow, "If I hadn't thrown out the Staff like that…"

"Kid, before you go blaming yourself, let me interrupt." Koto put a hand up as he sharply spoke, Suiv looking at him with a confused expression, "Everyone make's mistakes sometimes, alright? But just because you made a mistake doesn't mean the blame solely lies on you. Your real enemy is that Ver bastard, right? So focus on that instead."

"But I'm the one who sent out the Noise first!" Suiv shouted, and he flinched when Koto put a hand on his head.

"Yeah but you and your friend _also_ jumped from that VTOL to get rid of them before they could hurt too many people." Koto said, gesturing to Shirabe as he ruffled Suiv's hair for a moment before standing straight and pocketing his hands. "There was a short time ago I was used as little more than a weapon by the very person who made the Gears we use… but instead of feeling guilty about it, I picked up and moved on."

"Wait, so does that mean you're...!" Skalla didn't finish the sentence as he gasped, Koto only nodding, which earned similar reactions from the other three.

"Dess!?" Kirika happened to say rather than a gasp.

"To be more precise, it's _was."_ Koto said, glancing to Shirabe for a moment before turning around, "Well, whatever you bunch decide to do, that's up to you."

"Uhm… excuse me?" Shirabe spoke up, Koto looking back as the door slid open, "Could you maybe… bring us some bandages?"

Koto took a moment to look over the bunch, unable to spot any injuries, but then his eyes went to Suiv's clenched left hand, and he then gave a nod as he put a hand on the edge of the doorway.

"Sure, that won't be a problem. Gotta take care of your friends, right?" Koto got a nod from Shirabe in response, the young man giving a small grin, "Good. So, just sit tight and think things over… I'm sure the four of you have plenty of that to do."

* * *

"Miku!" The first to rush through the door into the infirmary was predictably Hibiki, Ritsudo, Kyomei, and Tsubasa close behind with Aoi accompanying them, Hibiki not even wasting a moment before hugging Miku in obvious joy to see her friend awake.

"How's she doin'?" Ritsudo asked.

"Her body is completely free of LiNKER, and there don't seem to be any adverse effects from the forced Gear activation." Aoi answered, Ritsudo and Kyomei letting out notable sighs of relief.

"Thank goodness! I'm so glad!" Hibiki cheered, and Miku took a moment to look around at the others, her eyes tracking to Hibiki, more specifically the bandages on her face.

"Hibiki, your face…" Miku murmured, Hibiki giving her usual cheerful chuckle, and a look of realization began spreading over Miku's face as flashes of the previous battle began coming to mind, tears starting to well at the corners of her eyes, "It's… It's my fault, right?"

"Yeah, it's thanks to you that I'm all better!"

"Huh?"

"I ow you one, Miku." Hibiki continued, Miku's expression easily one to mark as confused, "I didn't save you. You're the one who saved me!"

"Let me bring it up." Aoi quickly brought up an x-ray scan of Hibiki that had been taken earlier, and unlike the ones before, this one was completely free of any kind of foreign object or branching paths… nothing but clear space and a normal structure.

"Is that Hibiki?" Miku asked, Aoi nodding.

"Your Gear had the ability to negate and disassemble anything originating from Relics." Aoi said, then Ritsudo stepped over and put a hand on Hibiki's head, ruffling her hair as he snickered, Hibiki letting out a noise before giving an embarrassed chuckle.

"And by that logic our lovable idiot here threw both of you right in front of that beam those FIS guys amplified." Ritsudo said, holding up a finger, "And doing that erased _both_ your Gears and cleaned Hibiki's body right up of those Gungnir shards!"

"Your feelings were able to save Hibiki from the possible death she was faced with." Kyomei added, Miku's eyes going wide as steady realization started washing over her.

"When I was neck deep in trouble, you saved me!" Hibiki said, grasping one of Miku's hands in her own, "Thanks!"

"Me? I did?" Miku murmured, Hibiki nodding, Miku's smile growing wider for a few moments… but then it hit her what this _also_ meant, now that Hibiki's Gear was destroyed, even if the others didn't seem to be stressing it.

"However, FIS was able to raise the Frontier. The true battle is just before us." Aoi said, Ritsudo putting his arms behind his head as he hummed.

"Yeah but now we got like four more Symphogears if those kids from FIS agree to help us out. Which leaves FIS with like… two." Ritsudo remarked, one eye shut as he chuckled, "We don't have a thing to worry about!"

"Yeah but that's only _if_ they agree to help." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei nodding as he folded his arms, Ritsudo just casually shrugging.

"Eh, I got a feeling it'll work out."

"I agree with Ritsu. They want to do the right thing, I can just tell!" Hibiki added, Kyomei and Tsubasa looking at their two juniors as they bumped fists in time with their agreement, the two veterans looking back to each other and chuckling.

"That reminds me, where's Chris?" Miku looked around at the bunch, Ritsudo giving a small sigh.

"She's thinking things over in one of the rooms. Seeing all of that happen reminded her of… things that don't sit well with her." Ritsudo said, pocketing his hands, taking a moment before heading out, "I actually need to go talk to her about that. I'll see you guys in a minute!"

* * *

Chris was silently mulling on the bed of one of the ship's quarters, staring holes into the wall adjacent her as she thought back on the previous battle, unable to get the image of the carbonized soldiers out of her mind at all, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"DAMMIT!" Chris snapped, grabbing the nearby pillow and throwing it for the door, which _just_ started to open at that moment…

"Chri-BUHEEGH!" And cause the pillow to fly headlong into Ritsudo's face as he began to enter, Chris staring wide eyed as Ritsudo stopped dead, the pillow dropping from his face to reveal a nonplussed expression, "Well that's one way to greet somebody."

"R-Ritsu?! What are you doing here?" Chris yelped, Ritsudo giving her a raised brow as he picked up the pillow on the floor and fluffed it.

"Well, you're mulling over things so… well, I'm a bit worried you might try to run off and deal with things on your own, again… not that I think you actually _would_ now, but, can't help it." Ritsudo remarked, tossing the pillow back onto the bed as he pulled up the nearby swivel chair, Chris giving a dry chuckle as he spun around to lean on the back of it.

"So you really do care huh?" Chris remarked, Ritsudo's expression not changing as he fiddled with the lower part of his hair.

"Well, course I do. You're a close friend and my partner, meaning you're someone I deeply care for. Of course I'd be worried about you potentially doing something reckless." Ritsudo's tone didn't shift from what it was, Chris bringing her knees up as a blush started rising up her face.

"Don't say things like that so casually, idiot."

"Huh?"

"NOTHING!" Chris snapped as Ritsudo tilted his head the girl then huffing as she rocked a bit, "Whatever… I wasn't going to run off. It's just… frustrating. I can't stop thinking 'If I'd never activated that Staff, none of this would be happening' and… stuff like that."

"Well we do kind of happen to be right on the edge of the big final battle so I don't see a better chance than now to fix that." Ritsudo leaned on a hand as he said so, Chris just sighing, the white-haired young man getting up from the chair, leaning on the bed and putting a hand on Chris's head, the girl hiding a blush as he did, "I promised to help you get it back, and I will. Ver's definitely going to be on that Frontier thing. All we gotta do is find him, kick his tail to kingdom come, then take the Staff and either smash it to bits or lock it up somewhere nobody can find it again."

"I know that!" Chris said, stopping her arm when she moved to bat Ritsudo's arm away, "But it's not like I can just stop thinking like this."

"Hmm." Ritsudo stood straight and put a hand on his chin for a moment, and after a bit more, he could feel a light bulb go off in his head as he tapped a closed hand to the other's palm, "I got it! Let's go talk to those FIS kids!"

"HUH?!"

"Yeah, if we talk to them we may get a better idea of what they were trying to do, so come on let's go!" Ritsudo grabbed Chris by the wrist and pulled her up, not even a chance for protest being given as he guided her down the walkways to the room he recalled Koto telling them the FIS quadra would be staying in, Chris panting a bit as he finally released her wrist.

"Ritsu… is that… really a good idea?" Chris asked, Ritsudo nodding as he glanced at her.

"I also wanna know what their plan is from here… I get the feeling they want to help someone, so I don't want to sit by and not see if I can help them too." Ritsudo said, Chris sighing a bit, "So, let's see what they've gotta say."

"Alright alright." Chris just shook her head as Ritsudo pressed the key on the door, the two teens peering into the room once it slid open, the immediate sight they were met with being Shirabe dabbing the small marks on Suiv's hand with a cotton ball, the glasses wearing boy flinching with each dab, Skalla and Kirika snickering in their chairs despite the glares he kept shooting them.

"OW! Shirabe that stings!" Suiv shouted, Shirabe gripping his wrist tightly for a moment before relaxing her hand into a gentler hold as she set the cotton ball aside.

"It only stings because fighting made it a bit worse." Shirabe said, picking up the nearby roll of bandages and beginning to wrap up Suiv's hand, "You need to be more careful of accidently hurting yourself like that."

"It's not like I did it on purpose." Suiv muttered, and when he looked to the side, he flinched a bit as he noticed Chris and Ritsudo watching, the latter giving a small wave as he stepped in, the four younger teens remaining silently defensive.

"Relax, I'm not here for any malicious reason." Ritsudo said, but it seemed they weren't going to relax yet, causing Ritsudo to sigh as he scratched the back of his head. "This is gonna be harder than I thought…"

"Well what the hell else did you expect!?" Chris growled, not coming out from around the corner, "But, he's right, we're not here to be jerks or anything."

"I just wanna ask a few things, is that alright with you?" Ritsudo asked, and all he got was silence again, so he just sat down, "First off… I'm curious if the lot of you are willing to help us."

"Helping against the Noise was one thing, but…" Skalla stopped himself as he responded, bunching his hands together, Ritsudo cocking a brow.

"You've been our enemies for long, how can you just ask that so easily?" Kirika asked.

"Are you serious about wanting us to fight with you?" Shirabe asked in turn, and she got a nob in return, Ritsudo's eyes showing he was sure in his convictions, "That's what I don't like people like you and that girl. Your claims that what you do is just or right are the claims of hypocrites."

"I never said anything about thinking what I do is just or right. And I don't really think that way." Ritsudo said, Shirabe flinching a bit, "I just take the actions I feel are the right thing in the moment, and deal with the consequences as they come." Of particular note, Ritsudo glanced at Chris as he spoke, and the girl looked away with a slight tinge on her face, "I've hurt people before, on nothing more than sheer resentment. I'm lucky I didn't get thrown into juvenile detention for it, considering how our country runs things. I was only ever alone, and I hated the world because I wondered 'why me'... but that's not the kind of person I am anymore. Now, I want to help people, even if they don't ask. You can even talk to Hibiki, she'll probably tell you something similar."

"What's your point?" Suiv asked, Ritsudo's expression becoming serious.

"Take the actions you think are right." Ritsudo said, standing up, "Don't do something because someone tells you, do it because your heart tells you it's the right thing to do. If you want to help someone, help them, even if it means beating the point into their head to make them understand. Just do what it is that you want to do. And, I feel like what it is the four of you want to do is help that Maria lady and the guy with the white sword, yeah?"

"Going by your faces, you should probably know this guy has an annoying habit of hitting the nail on the head… a lot of you guys do actually." Chris remarked, Ritsudo giving a snide chuckle.

"What we want to do." Shirabe parroted, and Suiv clenched his bandaged hand a bit.

"I… I actually had a plan." Suiv said, the others looking to him as he let out a breath, looking at Chris and Ritsudo, "I wanted to hand the Staff of Solomon off to you people. We didn't need it anymore, and Ver kept misusing it. At first… I was a little uneasy with the idea… but after Maria ordered me to… tchh… I decided I had to. That damn thing _can't_ be used by anyone again."

"Seriously?" Chris murmured, Ritsudo taking note of her shocked expression and how her hands tightened up, "Well… I'm the one who even activated the thing. Heh, hearing you wanted to hand the thing over actually makes me feel like trusting you a bit… ahh, man it could've been so much easier if it wasn't for that damn Ver!"

"But he's not the only problem." Shirabe murmured, her hands tightening against one another.

"Something's up with Maria and the... Oratorio." Skalla sighed as he relented with Oratorio's name, looking down to his pendant, "They've been drifting apart… ever since Maria learned she wasn't the vessel for Finé…"

"Wait, she's not?" Ritsudo asked, Skalla about to clamp a hand over his mouth and then nodding.

"It turned out…" Kirika looked to Shirabe for a moment, then shook her head, "That none of us actually had the proper ability to reincarnate as Finé, or Scortura."

"Though I guess it's kinda hard to do that when the previous vessel is still around." Skalla noted, Kirika nodding herself.

"Huh, so I guess it put her onto a downward spiral of sorts didn't it?" Ritsudo hummed, the younger lot nodding in unison, "And what about that Oratorio guy?"

"I think he was relieved." Suiv remarked, now sitting with his hands tented over his mouth, "He and Maria are… close, they've known each other for a long, long time. So, learning they wouldn't lose themselves was definitely a relief to him… but this? Not even he was able to snap Maria out of it…"

"If she even needs to be snapped out of anything." Shirabe said, letting out a sigh, "But we… we have to stop them. The way Ver does things, it's not right…"

"Yeah, and I just… I feel like whatever happens next _won't_ be good." Skalla murmured.

"Ver's going to be using the Nephilim Heart to power the Frontier… and he likely came up with some method to control it too." Suiv said, Ritsudo and Chris looking to one another as the boy spoke, then he put his hands together for a moment before standing up, "If we _do_ agree to help you, what'll we get out of it? I'm willing to do whatever time is needed to atone for the crimes we committed, but.."

"Whoa whoa, don't get too far ahead!" Ritsudo said, Suiv bearing a confused look, Ritsudo clearing his throat, "I appreciate it, and we can discuss things after… but, I think we should stay focused on what's happening right now, yeah?"

"He's right, Sui-kun." Shirabe said, clutching her pendant, "We can worry about those things later. What's important right now is that we help Oratorio and Maria!"

"Yeah, Shirabe's right! Oratorio is strong but that doesn't mean he has to do this alone! We all care about Maria too, so it shouldn't be on Oratorio to be the only one to try and save her!" Skalla said, jumping to his feet, Kirika doing the same as she threw a fist up.

"Which means we got to get out there and find them, dess!" Kirika said, Ritsudo chuckling as Suiv nodded to the other three and turned back to him and Chris.

"So, does this mean we can count on you guys to help us out there? From the looks of it, there's a lot of schmucks swarming on that thing." Ritsudo said, Suiv nodding and putting a hand out.

"Yes… in order to save Maria and Oratorio… no, in order to save as many people as we can, we'll fight with you." Suiv said, Ritsudo taking the offered hand, and the young man laughed when the other three FIS kids joined in, Suiv finding himself sandwiched between Shirabe and Skalla to his obvious consternation.

"Well then, welcome aboard! Name's Narukami Ritsudo, nice to meet ya' for real!" Ritsudo said, Chris nodding herself.

"Yukine Chris, and same as him."

"Appreciated…" Suiv grumbled, the other three laughing as the pulled back and he let out a groaning noise.

"See what'd I tell ya?" Ritsudo hummed, looking to Chris with an amused smirk.

"Yeah, looks like you were right." Chris mused, _"If things go like this, then maybe… yeah, we can definitely do it! We can get that Staff back… and maybe, we can end all of this for good."_

* * *

It was a woeful level of silent in the cockpit of the VTOL as Oratorio sat at the main seat staring out of the windows to the central structure of the Frontier, a pair of binoculars casually thrown to the side, though he picked them up again and glanced through, focusing the lenses onto the shapes moving across the surface of the structure, more clearly viewing the blocky, humanoid constructs shuffling about without any seeming purpose, and from the one nearest that he could view, there was a dull green glow on it's "face" where the eyes would be on a normal person.

"I wonder how much longer this things'll be passive for." Oratorio murmured, tossing the binoculars behind him as he started fiddling with his pendant and leaned the chair back, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he brought a hand to his face, "What Maria is doing is wrong… I know that, so why… why can't I bring myself to stand up and stop her… before this goes to far? What is it… what's the problem?"

Oratorio sighed again as the grip on his pendant tightened until it began to feel as if the dull edge of it's shape would start digging into his skin if he pressed even just a little more as the thoughts in his head turned into a tumultuous mess of confusion, the logic of "this is wrong and I need to act" clashing with the emotional thoughts of "but I can't bring myself to stand against her" over and over.

It was the cutting flash of light coming from the central structure that broke through Oratorio's mind and got him to shoot upright, his eyes widening as three pillars of light shot from the structure and through the clouds and blinding speed as they swirled together into a solid formation, and shortly after a short pause, the beam vanished entirely, Oratorio grabbing the seat as the Frontier began shaking, looking out the window to see the sea churning as the structure began rising upwards from the sea, the massive structure breaking the surface and rising high above it, Oratorio eventually finding a steady grounding once the process had finished.

"So, it's finally started…" Oratorio muttered, clutching his pendant tightly again and letting out a breath as he stood up, his eyes locked on the central area before he turned and ran out, "Something… I have to do something!"

* * *

"Okay, that was rough!" Ritsudo picked himself up off the floor of the hallway as Chris nodded in response, the two not wasting any more time and hurrying into the main command room where everyone else was, "Boss, what's going on?!"

"It looks like we got a little present from below." Genjuuro said, Ritsudo looking to the main monitors as images began flying across it.

"The tidal disturbance was caused by increased strain on the moon!" One of the operators said, Ritsudo giving a mutter.

"So what they pulled this Frontier thing up by yanking on the moon?!" Ritsudo said, his expression between bewildered and completely dumbfounded by how absurd the idea was as he said it.

"Yes, but that's not all! It also accelerated the speed that the moon is falling at!"

"That's a bad." Kyomei said, "Well, there's no point in us sitting around is there?!"

"Kyomei's right, we need to get moving now!" Koto said, and everyone turned as the door slid open, Suiv, Shirabe, Kirika, and Skalla standing at the entrance, "Huh, so, you decided then?"

"We're going to help all of you here. This is just as much our fight as it is yours, so there's no reason we should sit on the sidelines." Suiv said, Skalla nodding as he stepped up.

"Our friends are in danger out there, and we want to stop Ver too! If we don't, then we'll be going against everything we stand for!" Skalla added, Genjurro standing up and looking at the four teens.

"You can trust us!" Kirika said, mainly to Tsubasa's more suspicious expression.

"Even when we were enemies?" Tsubasa asked, looking to Genjuuro when he put a hand on her shoulder, "Commander?"

"There are things more important than being allies or enemies." The man said, "Adults who don't support kids when they want to do something is so uncool it hurts."

"I'm not sure whether to say that's cool or cheesy." Chris said, sighing while Ritsudo nodded in agreement.

"It's what potential is." Genjuuro said, and Shirabe let out a small, amused chuckle.

"You never change, do you?" The girl's statement seemed wholly innocuous, though her three friends all looked at one another with raised brows.

"I'm far too nice I know, but that's part of my nature." Genjuuro said, then his expression showed he picked up on what was said, and he actually seemed a bit confused.

"I'll lead you to the hatch, let's hurry!" Hibiki said, taking Shirabe by the hand and taking the lead, the others following after quickly in a rush of their own.

* * *

From the opened hatch, the deployment ended up being a total of four different modes of transportation along. Leading the lot out, Tsubasa tore off on her motorcycle with Kyomei clinging on, Ritsudo following suit on a bike of his own with Chris on the back, Koto next after them on the nimbus with Kirika and Skalla holding on for dear life in the slight confusion they had about it, and lastly, Shirabe with her Gear deployed, a large buzzsaw being used like a wheel, Suiv hanging off to the side from the platform behind her, but added on was _Hibiki_ also just behind Shirabe.

" _Hibiki?!"_ Miku's voice crackled over the line, the Gear users of the 2nd Division all giving small sighs.

" _What are you doing!? You don't have a Gear, you shouldn't be fighting!"_ Genjuuro called over the line, and Ritsudo chuckled.

"Boss, I don't think there'd be any getting Hibiki to back off no matter what we tried." Ritsudo said.

"I'm not going to fight, I'm going to help people!" Hibiki replied.

"That's typical!" Chris chuckled, shaking her head.

" _You think you can just grin your way out of this on a technicality?!"_ Genjuuro shouted.

"Commander, there's no point. She's already out here, no turning back now." Koto responded.

" _Let her go. Because helping people is when Hibiki really shines!"_ Miku spoke, Genjuuro giving an audible sigh.

" _I thought it was my job to laugh in the face of common sense!"_ Genjuuro mused.

"So, I guess we're done chatting right, cause I think the party's shown up!" Ritsudo called out as the shuffling automatons began turning their attention to the Gear users, their green eyes flashing to red, Noise also starting to rise up with them, "Heck what _are_ those things?"

"Defense Automatons." Suiv said, "They're the defense system of the Frontier, and if I had to take a guess, Ver is controlling them."

"Yeah but how?" Skalla said.

"We can figure that out later, for now let's move!" Tsubasa shouted, cranking her bike to shoot forward, Kyomei yelping a bit as they tore off.

"Slow down a bit!" Kyomei snapped, though he steeled himself as enemies drew close, the blades on Tsubasa's legs moving and shifting to move in front of the bike and forming a much larger blade, Tsubasa nodding to Kyomei, who leapt from his seat and landed on the blade, parts of his waist armor locking down in the open gap to keep him in place, flicking his arms to deploy his handguns and slamming both into their rifle mode, taking aim as Tsubasa began rushing the nearby enemies, swinging both her sword and using the blade she'd deployed to slice through them, Kyomei's gunfire perfectly matching her timing, the air practically being filled with blue and red streaks as they blasted through and ahead of the others.

"Those two are absurd." Ritsudo muttered, looking back at Chris as she brought out one of her crossbows, snickering as he drew his own sword, "But like we're gonna be left behind!"

"Hell yeah!" Chris shouted, firing off as Ritsudo pulled ahead, Kirika and Skalla both making the same shocked sounding noise.

"They're all absurd…" Skalla murmured.

"Dess!"

"You get used to it. But come on, we can't lag behind here! We're headed for that central structure right?" Koto asked, Shirabe pulling up near him, Suiv nodding.

"Yes. That structure houses the core of the Frontier and the central controls. My best guess is Ver used some kind of LiNKER formula mixed with Nephilim cells to give him control, since the Nephilim's Heart is being used as a power source!" Suiv said, Koto giving a hum.

"Right then. Let's go!"

"RIGHT!"

* * *

Whereas on another side of the Frontier, Oratorio was also fighting his way past Noise and Automatons, his blade leaving trails of white flames behind it with each slash as every attack brought him steps forward through the attacking foes around him, letting out a yell as an Automaton lunged at him, his blade driving through it's torso, the weapon opening up and causing more damage before a gout a fire launched from it, scorching the ground in front of it and erasing whatever was caught in the blast, Oratorio swiping his sword as the Automaton stuck on it crumbled.

"The Noise won't end until someone gets that damn staff, but these Automatons… those'll run out." Oratorio murmured, kicking aside the dead head part of an Automaton, and he looked over elsewhere when he heard the sound of another song, raising a brow, "Someone else is fighting? Huh… must be the 2nd Division Gear Users…"

A sting of guilt hit Oratorio when he thought out Suiv, Shirabe, Kirika, and Skalla, his unsureness of their own situation hitting him like a blow to the chest, but he shook his head and started moving forward again, but he stopped his progress when the buzz of static sounded in his ear.

" _I am Maria Cadenzavna Eve…"_

"What?!" Oratorio gasped, and in the corner of his HUD, a video feed showing Maria, backed by a glowing core and several other crystalline objects, came into view, "Maria, what are you doing?"

" _In an effort to minimize the damage caused by the fall of the Moon, I impersonated Finé."_ Maria said, Oratorio's hand gripping his sword all the tighter, gritting his teeth and pressing on as Maria continued, _"The crisis we face was discovered three months ago, but was kept secret by the American National Security Organization, the Bavarian Illuminati, and their associates. That's because this truth was an inconvenience to the elite who dominate politics and the financial world."_

"Maria, there's no point revealing all of that… it won't fix anything unless we act!" Oratorio shouted, launching another gout of fire from his sword as more enemies closed in on him, an annoyed growl leaving his throat.

" _I harbor no illusions that you will be able to trust a liar like me. But, I want to at least show you the truth: That songs can become strength!"_

"So, that's what you're doing." Oratorio stopped again as he let out a breath, a thought removing the video from his feed as he let out another gout of flame with a roar coming from his throat, blasting through the torrent of flames and slashing every foe caught in his path before the fires dispersed, swiping his sword as he stood straight, looking back at the now glassed over earth and piles of ash that had been left behind, "Maybe I put too much into that one."

"Oratorio?!" Four voices shouting his name in unison got Oratorio to turn, the young man's eyes going wide as he turned to face Suiv, Shirabe, Kirika, and Skalla as they rushed towards him, and the second Oratorio set eyes on Koto, HIbiki just behind the staff-wielder, Oratorio got ready to take an offenseive stance, but then Skalla and Kirika jumped in front of him.

"Wait wait wait! They're here to help!" Kirik said, waving her arms about, Oratorio showing a confused expression while Skalla nodded rapidly.

"Yeah they're not really our enemies anymore! I mean yeah we were but now things are different so there's no reason for us to fight and all y'know but the point is they're not enemies now!" Skalla spat it out so fast he didn't really notice his repeating of his point, Oratorio looking to Suiv and Shirabe who just nodded to him.

"Not enemies anymore? What do you guys get out of helping us?" Oratorio challenged, Hibiki popping out from behind Koto where she was peering from.

"That's exactly why we're here! To help people!" Hibiki said, Koto nodding as he set his staff across his shoulders.

"That and, well, stopping a madman from dropping the moon on the planet and all." Koto added, but he sighed when Oratorio stilled looked at him with a suspicious gaze, spinning his staff and setting one end on the ground, "You're not gonna be satisfied with just that, are you?"

"Sadly, no. I'm not going to be that easily convinced." Oratorio said, swiping his sword, a hard set gaze being aimed at Koto, the four FIS teens looking at him with surprise, but as their expressions changed it became clear they were understanding the meaning behind this, all through the way his sword itself looked unstable, like the normally solid form of the sword of light was itself wavering in confusion, flickering between it's solid form and lacking any shape but a loose, uncontrolled fire vaguely in the shape of a sword.

There wasn't anything else the four younger teens needed to understand there wasn't a way to get through to Oratorio besides this.

"Wait wait, is fighting right now really necessary?!" Hibiki yelped, Koto sighing again.

"I really wish it wasn't, but, there isn't. Look at his eyes, he's determined… besides, sometimes…" Koto spun Ruyi Jingu Bang around and took his usual stance with it, the rings on each end clanging in the air, "fighting is the best way to understand one another, and in the case of we Symphogears, our songs even moreso! Whether it requires fighting or talking, I'll understand him."

"Can you really be sure about that?" Oratorio's voice came out as a growl as he took a stance of his own, the others pulling back as the two faced one another, Koto nodding as he showed a small grin.

"As sure as I can be… besides, I think we're pretty similar, you and me… both of us are facing a form of loss… so I'm gonna beat it into you exactly what you're doing wrong!"

"Show me if you're right!" Oratorio snapped, rushing forward, his blade clashing with Koto's staff and sending a sound that resounded across the surface of the Frontier.

* * *

"Did we go a bit too far?" Ritsudo let out a hum as he looked around the spring like location he, Chris, Tsubasa, and Kyomei had found themselves ending up in the wake of their charge getting ahead of the others.

"Yeah we might have." Chris said, putting her hands on her hips, "Seriously, where did we end up?"

"Well our goal is that central structure, so not like it matters too much so long as we can meet up with the others." Kyomei stated, Tsubasa nodding.

"Yes, but we also need to find Ver. With Noise being out here too, there's a chance he's around." Tsubasa stated, and the four turned when they heard an all too familiar sounding cackle.

"Looking for me?!" Ver laughed as he came into view from the nearby outcropping of the area, the Staff of Solomon in one hand, and the other arm had been morphed into a bulky limb akin to the Nephilim, parts of it even having claw like protrusions from the wrist.

"Ver!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo raising a brow.

"The hell is up with the Resident Evil arm?!" The boy muttered, Ver chuckling as he raised the mentioned limb, looking at it with a gaze one could only call admiration.

"It's beautiful isn't it? A special form of LiNKER using Nephilim cells! With this I have complete control of the Frontier and every linked to it!" Ver declared, Ritsudo looking more unimpressed.

"Yeah that thing's totally fugly." He said, Ver giving an irked scoff.

"Hand over the staff Ver!" Chris however, was more for getting to the point of the matter, drawing out machine pistols and aiming them at Ver, the man only chuckling as he aimed the staff and summed a slew of Noise, and with a snap of his left hand, multiples of the Automatons they'd fought through also began coming up around him as well.

"Well then you'll have to earn it! But first you'll have to fight through my servants here! The last action hero of earth won't be such an easy being to reach! Coming against the hero will be your downfall, Symphogear Users!" Ver yelled, Ritsudo still looking more on the unimpressed side.

"Last action hero? Does this guy even realize what kind of situation he's in?" Ritsudo remarked.

"I don't think he knows what "hero" actually means… he sounds way more like the villain." Kyomei said, Ver looking especially irked at his statement.

"Villain?! I'm no villain! I'm trying to save the human race!" Ver shouted, Chris making a sound.

"Save? You just made the moon fall faster!" The white haired girl snapped, Ver scoffing.

"I'm thinning the numbers for the era after! No point ruling with so many people is there? And with _me_ the survival of humanity is assured!" Ver yelled, though his deranged confidence quickly changed when Chris fired a shot that _just_ shot past his hair, the man reeling back with a frightened squeal.

"Jeez, you flip modes way too easily." Chris grumbled, Tsubasa pointing her sword at Ver.

"If you call yourself a hero, then my blade will cut that delusion apart without fail!" Tsubasa said, Ver giving a growl.

"I hate types like you! Fine then, come if you wish! You'll die just the same!" Ver shouted, sending out more Noise with a swing of the staff, Ritsudo giving a snicker as they all readied for the fight.

"So, four to a whole bunch of mooks, this'll be fun." Ritsudo noted, the flat of his blade scraping across his gauntlet as he took his stance, "Chris, you ready?"

"Sure as hell, I'm getting that Staff back here and now!" Chris stated, taking aim at the moving foes.

"Well, guess there's only one thing for us to do here. Tsubasa?" Kyomei noted, Tsubasa only giving a nod, and all four spoke at once.

 **"** _ **OVERLAY!"**_

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **And so the finale has begun, and boy the next chapter is gonna be one hell of a ride. Time for things to come along to a head and escalate further and further! See ya lot next chapter!**_


	32. G Stanza XVI

_Symphogear Trill G_

 _ **Stanza XVI: The Other Side of the Battlefield**_

The noises of Koto and Oratorio's weapons clashing together in their fighting shook the ground of the Frontier with each blow that connected, but the fight was clearly one sided in the favor of Koto. Oratorio's swings were wild and uncontrolled like the flames of his sword, whereas Koto's strikes were precise and smooth, each blow of the staff against Oratorio's armor sending the other wielder skidding back, only to dive back into the clash with furious growls.

"This is nothing but rage, do you honestly think that'll get you anywhere?!" Koto posed the question with a near chilling sense of calm fury to his tone as he blocked Oratorio's strike, bringing his leg up and kicking his foe back, stepping to the side to avoid the returned gash of flame sent his way.

"Like you have any idea what's going on right now!" Oratorio yelled, charging back in, his blade again getting block and his form being sent flying back by a rapid return strike from Koto, the young man pulling himself up from the dirt as he grimaced, "What am I even supposed to do in a situation like this anyway?!"

"Talking with some proper sense would be a start." Koto said, spinning his staff back into a ready grip as Oratorio's hands gripped tightly on the hilt of his weapon, his face aimed downwards so his hair hid his eyes… but Koto could see the glinting wet streaks starting to show across Oratorio's face. "But, this was your choice to fight… and I'm starting to get a sense for what's going through your head."

"Like hell someone with a life like yours would understand!" Oratorio roared, looking up with an enraged snarl on his face, Koto's expression keeping calm.

"No… I think someone with a life like mine _would_ understand the kind of pain you're feeling!" Koto said, the clash resuming again and resounding across the Frontier, the spectators raising their arms as the waves of power washed over them.

"Strong… the hell is with the two of them?! This is nuts!" Skalla shouted.

"Oratorio… is he really that hurt?" Kirika murmured, and Hibiki gave a noise as her hands clenched.

"Koto-senpai can get through to him!" Hibiki said, the four FIS kids looking to her as she nodded, "He's good at this kind of thing, getting through to people, and helping them when they're down."

"Let's hope so." Suiv muttered, again raising an arm as the clashing between the two Tuners sent out a forceful shock through the air, "Because we don't have much time."

* * *

"So, anyone know what in the… _hell_ these robots are?!" Ritsudo jumped back as he pulled his sword from one of the Automatons, yelping when it only came at him again, Chris pelting it with bolts from a crossbow to blow it away, Tsubasa and Kyomei jumping back from their own enagement, "Heck we cut through them as easily as Noise before!"

"Yeah what gives now?!" Chris snapped, the four Symphogears looking to Ver as the man chuckled.

"The Frontier's defense Automatons learn as they fight! The more your Symphogear Users fight them the more they'll understand how to counter you, and the stronger they'll get in response! It's only been sped up more thanks to the Nephilim's power activating them!" Ver yelled, and then he flinched when Kyomei and Tsubasa shot through a group, Kyomei giving a snicker as he spun his twin swords into their bow formation.

"So that just means we need to bust the things faster than they can learn how we fight!" Kyomei pulled back the string and loosed a massive energy arrow from the bow, the shot raking through the enemies before him and tearing through the ground to leave nothing but a scorched path before him, Tsubasa shooting up from behind Kyomei and slashing with her larger blade, a swathe of blue light rushing through more of the foes before them, clearing the path even more.

"And we'll go for the Staff!" Chris yelled, charging forward onto the cleared path, Ver sending out more Noise to block the way, Ritsudo leaping in front of Chris and cutting the Noise down with a flurry of slashes, the slashes being followed by gashes in the air as the wind burst out around them and through the swarm as Chris sent bullets spewing forward along with them.

"BLOW AWAY!" Chris roared, her armor opening up and releasing a storm of missiles at Ver, the man shrieking as he loosed a large Noise to intercept the attack as Automatons also tried to attack, the rain of explosions tearing through the enemies and breaking through the Noise, pelting the ground where Ver was seen in a hail of fireballs, Chris landing as the dust rose into the air, the four Gear users flinching when the ground shuddered, and they heard Ver's screaming as the impact area began collapsing, the four looking down the lip of the new hole in the land that led into caves beneath.

"There he is!" Ritsudo pointing ahead as he spotted Ver scurrying off into the depths of the cave, Chris biting her lip.

"Then let's get after him!" Chris shouted, jumping from the edge and skidding down the rubble slope, the other three following suit with affirmative giving nods.

* * *

The resounding sound of Koto's staff impacting rang through the air as he knocked Oratorio back yet again with a much more powerful strike than before, Oratorio again pulling himself out of the dust, launching a blast of fire at Koto, who launched into the air, throwing his staff downwards, the weapon expanding into a massive pillar, Koto landing atop it lightly, Oratorio looking at him with a growl.

"I get it now." Koto said, flexing a hand, Oratorio loosing another blast, Koto dropping and grabbing his staff as it shrunk, dashing forward and clashing weapons again, "The kind of pain that's making you fight like this… the confusion in your head… I know what that kind of feeling is!"

"Shut up!" Oratorio growled as he forcefully broke the lock, Koto however dropping his staff to lock the blade down, Oratorio struggling in his attempt to pull the blade up, but he found the weight keeping the flaring sword of light down was too much for him to even budge the sword an inch with force, instead slipping back and stepping away, "How would you know anything?!"

"Because where you're afraid of losing the person you love the most, where you're unsure of what to do and being torn between that love and your sense of logic and reasoning, I _did_ lose that person." Koto said, taking his stance again, "I lost the person who was closest to me, and I lost it… I gave into grief and despair, and that ended up being the thing that nearly ended me."

"Who is he talking about?" Skalla asked.

"Kanade-san, the person who used the Gungnir before me." Hibiki said, "I never met her but… everyone said they were far more than just Synchronization partners."

"Your plight doesn't have to mean a thing to me!" Oratorio yelled, again charging to slash, Koto sidestepping and tripping Oratorio with a quick swipe to his legs, planting his staff on Oratorio's back once he hit the ground.

"Yeah, it doesn't… but you should take a moment to shut up and listen!" Koto said, twirling the staff and knocking Oratorio away, his foe rolling back to his feet and shoving his blade into the ground to some to a stop, the earth scorched where it had been cut into, Koto slamming his staff into the ground and causing it's rings to jingle from the movement. "For two years I was put into a dream… one where things just seemed perfect, like what tore my life to shreds hadn't happened. It didn't take me long to understand it was false… but I didn't care. I was so desperate, so hurt, I accepted a false dream that trapped me rather than face the truth and move forward."

"What's your point?!"

"I'm saying you need to step back and focus!" Oratorio said, swiping his staff along when Oratorio charged again, the two's foreheads colliding from the momentum of the former's charge, "Stop and _think_ for a moment! You know how you feel, so why are you letting things clash?!"

Oratorio's moment of pause was met with a blow from Koto's shoulders blowing him back, the black armored Symphogear user skidding to a stop, his eyes wide in realization, then a growl came from him again.

"What the hell else am I supposed to do?! What's happening right now is wrong! I have to do something to stop it but I… I can't if it means fighting Maria! I love her, I can't just decide to fight her even if she's in the wrong!" Oratorio snapped, Claimoh Solais flaring in response to his yelling, Koto nodding.

"I agree, you can't… and you don't. Like I said, take a step back and think. If you really do love her, then don't let those feelings turn to hate as your better self fights against the wrong she's in. Instead, turn it around! Use all of those feelings and pull her back to you." Koto held his staff horizontally, level to his chest as he let out a breath, a golden aura beginning to rise around him, "You're lucky. You have the chance to save her, a chance I didn't have… but that's why I'm here right now, to fulfill Kanade's wish! All of us are going to come out of here alive and save our world again, no matter what it takes! For her, I'm going to see what's on the other side of this battlefield!"

 _ **(Begin song "Kimi dake no boku de iru kara" by Gackt (second verse) sung by Koto)**_

In tune with his song pulsing outwards, the aura around Koto exploded out from him and buffeted the air, the force of it making Oratorio skid back a bit, Koto spinning his staff back to his normal grip on it before stepping forward, and for the observes, for an ever brief moment, a shimmering figure appeared behind him, their hands pushing him forward, the figure fading his surging aura as he blasted through Oratorio's retaliating wall of flame.

With the way Koto struck, Oratorio saw a change in his movements as he dodged and blocked the assault, but blows broke through and landed, shards of Oratorio's armor being shorn off with each landed blow, black being blown away to reveal white beneath it.

" _Those movements… those aren't those of a bo staff… he's wielding that thing like it's a spear!"_ Oratorio grimaced as a jab to his chest sent him skidding back across the dirt, and as Oratorio rushed forward to attack again he aimed his blade forward, but he flinched a bit as he caught the expression on Koto's face. Not a tense grimace or even a scowl, but a smile, one mixed with this melancholy sadness but also exhilaration… the same kind of emotions the song ringing from his throat echoed.

Oratorio however, grit his teeth and launched the blast from his stabilizing sword, Koto leaping over the blast by slamming his staff into the ground to propel himself skywards, Oratorio looking up as his foe began twirling the weapon and reared it back, Oratorio pulling his cape up as Koto was poised to throw the staff, releasing it as it's golden aura surged along the length taking on the vague form of a spear.

Once the spear was released with a sound pulsing through the air as it shot downwards, the drawn cape meant to block the attack being blown away by the impact, Oratorio's eyes going wide as the staff struck him dead on in the torso, the feeling of time slowing to this one moment as a feeling washed over him from the blow reached his head, the young man's eyes widening in that moment, and once time resumed for him, Oratorio was sent flying backwards, sprawling across the ground and eventually coming to a rolling stop, ending with his back on the dirt and turned with his face to the clear skies, his expression a near-blank kind of astonishment and realization, the expression of a realized epiphany as his eyes looked to the shimmers of rising light coming from his fading Gear.

 _ **(end song)**_

"Looks like I lost…" Oratorio muttered, a hand clenching into a closed fist before he brought the arm up to cover his eyes as he gave a grimace, "I'm such an idiot to not have gotten this sooner…"

"So then it _did_ get through to you." Oratorio moved his arm as the sound of footsteps reached his ears, Koto leaning on his staff as he looked down at the other young man, Oratorio's arm moving as he shifted, eyes again stuck on the open sky, "Well?"

"Yeah, I get it." Oratorio muttered, sitting upright, pulling his pendant out and staring at it, "I was thinking about this the wrong way… you're right, I _don't_ need to fight Maria… I just need to help her get her head straight."

"Well then my work is done." Koto mused, moving a bit as the four FIS kids all shot past him with various cries to Oratorio, the boy chuckling as he put his staff over his shoulders while Hibiki approached him.

"That's why we're here! We want to help Maria too!" Kirika said.

"We don't want to just sit around… not when things could get worse." Skalla said, Shirabe and Suiv silently nodding in agreement, Oratorio taking a silent moment to look between the four young teens, then stepping forward and pulling all four into a tight embrace to their surprise.

"Thank you, all of you." Oratorio said, stepping back and looking at the four young Gear users in turn, "You did the right thing by coming here… I'm sorry, I should've been thinking with a clear head more… I just, honestly never thought something like this would happen. So… I'm sorry I've been so indecisive."

"Y-You don't need to apologize for anything-desu!" Kirika yelped, Skalla nodding rapidly.

"Yeah you weren't at fault! You were as shocked as we were and just… dealt with it how you did." Skalla took a moment to look back at the scorch marks left across the ground from the fighting earlier, coughing into a hand.

"Skalla don't put your foot in your mouth." Suiv murmured, Oratorio giving a small chuckle.

"Well then, I figure things'll go from here. Hibiki and I'll head on ahead." Koto tapped the ground, the nimbus forming beneath his feat, Hibiki hopping on behind him, "How're you two going to get there hmm? I assume your lady friend is up in the tower yeah?"

"That's where one of the central control areas is, yeah." Oratorio said, looking to the tower himself, both his hands clenching, "And that's where we need to head ourselves."

"Then we'll meet you there!" Hibiki said, Koto nodding to her statement, the cloud lifting up and carrying the two off, Oratorio turning back to the kids.

"Alright then, let's go… all of us, let's help Maria!" Oratorio's tone was much firmer this time a more reassured smile on his face as the kids nodded, all five looking to the tower as the air began shifting, "Don't give up just yet Maria… please."

* * *

Ritsudo, Chris, Tsubasa, and Kyomei's movement through the caves was cautious as they looked around for Ver, and they locked places once Noise began shuffling out from the shadows, Ver coming into the light a few moments later with the Staff of Solomon raised.

"Symphogear users are not needed in my future, so why don't you lot just quietly die already?!" Ver snapped, tossing out a grenade like object, the item already spewing red gas as it rolled to a stop, "Anti-LiNKER! See how well you do against my Noise with your Gears weakened!"

"Like we'll fall for that twice!" Ritsudo snapped, his swords aura flaring before one slash caused the wind to whip around in a torrent, casting aside the red Anti-LiNKER gas and cut the Noise around them to ribbons leaving nothing but the ashes, Ver letting out a bit of a shriek as the air settled again, Ritsudo's blade aimed towards the man as Chris aimed a handgun of her own. "I suggest you just hand that Staff over and save yourself the trouble of a beat down."

"Ngh… like hell!" Ver snapped, summoning more Noise to replace the ones that had been destroyed, though in an instant they were cut down by the veteran duo, Chris dashing forward and shoulder slamming Ver, the Staff going flying through the air and clattering across the ground, and when Ver dove for it, Chris fired a shot just centimeters from Ver's head, the man shrieking from the possible harm as Chris coldly glared at him.

"I should honestly just put a bullet through your head right now!" Chris snapped, Ver shrieking as he scrambled to his feet and ran off back into the depths of the cave, Ritsudo about to give chase but stopping.

"Should we really let him run?" Kyomei asked, Ritsudo shrugging.

"Peh, we can deal with him later." The white haired boy said, flicking his katana, the weapon retracting and locking onto his gauntlet, looking over to Chris as she walked to the Staff and picked it up off of the dirt, this solemn air about her. "Hey, you two go on ahead, we'll catch up with you back on the surface or… whatever the hell you can call it with this damn thing."

"Alright then." Tsubasa sternly nodded and turned, Kyomei, on the other hand, grabbed Tsubasa by the hand and pulled her behind one of the natural pillars, "Kyomei?! He told us to go ahead!"

"Yeah I know but we need to watch this." Kyomei said, peering out from the hiding place, his visor clicking down and zooming in as he focused on Ritsudo and Chris, "As reliable senpais it's our job to make sure our slightly less responsible kouhais don't screw up."

"Kyomei I have no clue what you mean by this." Tsubasa said, peering out from under Kyomei, glancing at him with a bewildered expression.

"I've played lots of dating sims and watched a lot of stuff. I know this situation! It's a post battle consoling once the heroine's emotional baggage has been dealt with!"

"I didn't know you played those kinds of games."

"That doesn't matter right now!"

"Finally…" Chris murmured, flinching when Ritsudo slapped her on the back.

"Hehehe, told ya we'd get it back! And no need for some weird plan, just kick his ass and take it." Ritsudo said, his arms behind his head as he spoke, "So I'd say that's mission accomplished, all well and good, granted we still kinda need to somehow stop the freaking moon from falling now that this whole ordeal is going on but _hey,_ we stopped someone from blowing it up, we can handle this, I hope."

"Yeah." Chris murmured, turning around to Ritsudo as he started muttering some things, but she didn't really focus on that, her hand shooting forward and grabbing Ritsudo by one of the trails of his trailing scarf, yanking it around and pulling him down enough where, as if while barely thinking about it, she could kiss him dead on, Ritsudo's eyes shooting wide from the event while from their hiding spot, Kyomei gave a small fist pump while Tsubasa's face gained the smallest of flushes.

"So bold." Tsubasa murmured, glancing up at Kyomei and then back to their two juniors as Chris broke the contact, releasing Ritsudo as she looked to the side with her face burning red.

"That was unexpected… but not bad." Ritsudo murmured, tacing a finger across his lower lip in astonishment for a moment, Chris' face only getting all the redder, nearly matching the shade on her Gear.

"S-Sorry… it's just, it was in the spur of the moment." Chris said, her free hand clutching her arm, her grip on the Staff's handle getting all the tighter, "But it's just I… even if I don't get a positive answer, Ritsu I… I love you okay?! And right now I feel like if I don't say it, then it'd be like I missed some kind of chance so… I just, needed to get it across is all. If you don't then it'll-MMPH?!"

However, despite the troubled thoughts and fearing rejection in that moment, Chris's mind ground to a total halt as Ritsudo, after seeming pensive for a moment as the girl had spoken, grabbed Chris by the shoulders and pulled her into a kiss of his own volition, Chris's eyes becoming the size of dinner plates from the sudden action, only being able to stare off into space once Ritsudo pulled back, a little grin showing on his face.

"Well I need to get something across to then." Ritsudo had his arms behind his head again, snickering a bit at the blown away look on Chris's face, Ritsudo's expression becoming a bit more somber, "Honestly there's still a lot of things I'm gonna need to sort out with myself, a lot to deal with… but, right now, the me standing right here can safely say he loves the person called Yukine Chris. In fact, I think I have for quite a while now, actually."

"Eh?" Was the only sound that could escape Chris's throat, Ritsudo sighing as he put his arms on his hips.

"No, not "Eh?" you're supposed to say something else. I dunno, like "D-dummy, now isn't the time for this!" in that adorably tsundere manner of yours. Though I mean you look adorable a lot of the time anyway." Ritsudo's small move at mimicry clashed with the near casual way that he was speaking, then he hummed again, "Or maybe something that's just a fitting response I guess. Don't really know how to actually go about these kinds of things myself honestly speaking."

"Well… I mean it's… ahhhhhhhhh…." Chris's attempt at some kind of retort turned into a flat, shocked squeal as it fully set in, Ritsudo snickering as he covered his mouth. "Y-You're being too casual!"

"I'm being _honest_ is what I'm being right now." Ritsudo said, turning on his heel and looking back, "We can talk it over later. We've got a bad guy to catch, a moon to stop from falling, and a world to save, again."

"Right." Chris murmured, still bearing an embarrassed expression, then Ritsudo gave a sigh when he saw Kyomei and Tsubasa retreat behind the pillar.

"Looks like we've got a couple of meddlesome senpais huh?" Ritsudo hummed, Chris making a noise between shocked and angry.

"Don't mind us at all-GAGH!" The sound of a hard smack followed Kyomei's statement, Ritsudo and Chris sighing as the other two stepped out, Kyomei rubbing his upper arm as Tsubasa had her arms folded.

"We have things to do, so let's go!" Tsubasa said, the others nodding in time, heading back to the slope to leave the caves.

* * *

The heavy sounds of five sets of feet rushing down the halls of the main structure of the Frontier echoed across the halls, Oratorio in the lead of the four kids as they weaved their way through, cutting down Automatons that got in their way as they proceeded, not a single beat in their stride being lost as they did so.

"There's not a single Noise here, do you think Ver lost the Staff to the 2nd Division Gear Users?" Skalla asked, Suiv nodding.

"It's likely. He's probably sent the Frontier's defenses haywire in response." Suiv said.

"Doesn't matter if it's Noise or weird robots, we'll cut them down either way, dess!" Kirika added, her scythe cleanly cutting through the body of an Automaton that had jumped above them.

"So long as they're in the way, we'll take them all down." Shirabe said, Oratorio nodding as a blast of fire left his sword from the slash he let loose through one of the enemies, and unlike before, the blade was stable again.

"My head's clear now… I get what it is I have to do." Oratorio murmured, his mind starting to wander a bit in his thoughts, and then his Gear began making a noise as his lips started moving.

 _ **(Begin song "Hakanakumo Towano Kanashi" by UVERworld)**_

"Huh? Wasn't Oratorio's song different?" Skalla asked, looking to Suiv as the other young man nodded as the sound of the song began echoing across the hallways.

"But that's why Gears can react… a song can change in response to the user's feelings and will… and this is how Oratorio's is responding to his thoughts." Suiv said, Skalla giving a hum, Suiv showing a bit of a smirk, "So let's make sure Maria can hear it! Shirabe, Kirika, help Skalla and me amplify Oratorio's Gear!"

"EHHH?! Can we even do that, dess?!" Kirika gasped, Shirabe nodding as she pulled up to her friends side.

"So long as we _want it_ to be possible, I don't doubt it can be." Shirabe said, Suiv nodding as he glanced back at Shirabe.

"Shirabe's right, if we want to, then it'll work, regardless of whether it'd be considered impossible or not!" Suiv said, the other three with him nodding, and within a moment of them all having the same thought, small threads of light that first connected to each other in their respective Synchronize pairs, with one strand moving to Oratorio, and once it had connected, Oratorio's song became all the louder.

And with it, Oratorio felt the four's own feelings on the matter, the honest desire to help save Maria and himself, making Oratorio unable to stop a smile from breaking out on his face as he shot forward, flames blazing behind him as he spun through the air and cut through the Automatons before him in clean fashion, skidding to a stop at the end of the passage, the other four catching up shortly.

 _ **(End song)**_

"We should be near the elevator now! If I had to guess, Ver's probably already taken it." Suiv said, a hand on his chin as they continued along, eventually reaching the end of the path, a long space leading upwards and nothing else past it, a panel near where an elevator likely _should_ be.

"Which means we'll have to wait." Skalla grumbled, Oratorio giving a muttering noise.

"I think I can use Solis's flames to rise up the shaft but…" Oratorio murmured, glancing back to the kids.

"Oratorio, you should be the one to face Maria." Shirabe said, Oratorio looking to the girl with a bit of surprise, "You're Maria's most precious person… we're also important to her, but you can get through to her where even we can't. There's other things we can do to help as well."

"Yeah! We can go find Mom and help her stop the moon, or… what else?" Skalla murmured.

"Find the core and see if it's possible to shut down Frontier is one option. Chances are slim, but we may be able to remove the Nephilim's heart." Suiv stated, motioning to adjust his glasses even with the lack of them due to his Gear's presence.

"So don't worry about us! We're with you even when we're not!" Kirika said, throwing a fist up in the air.

"Right." Oratorio nodded, progressively patting all four kids on the head in turn, "Then do what you need to. Once we meet up again, I promise Maria will be with me. So good luck!"

"Eh we won't need it, we're awesome!" Skalla said, Kirika nodding along with him, Oratorio chuckling as he stepped to the edge of the platform, looking back at the four young teens with a reassuring smile on his face, then looking up the dark shaft, leaping off from the lip, segments of his armor opening up and releasing jets of flame that shifting him in the air, moving him upwards with each burst of white flames from them, each one like a jump in the open air as he used the walls of the shaft as impromptu hand and footholds to avoid slipping up, using bursts of flame from his sword as extra propulsion on his way upwards, and as he got closer and closer to the stop, he shot to the side when the elevator lowered down near him, and the closer he got, the more he could hear from the zone above.

"If I can't protect the world, I have no other reason to live!" Maria's voice reached out past it as the light from the end of the tunnel came into Oratorio's view, the young man giving grimace as his sword released another large burst of flames.

"That's wrong… that's wrong Maria!" Oratorio shouted as he shot over the edge above him with fire following from behind him as he burst outwards into the top of the tower, landing on the leading platform to it and looking up to the central zone, looking up to see Maria staring at him with wide eyes, and across from her, Hibiki was standing with a hand grasping the tip of Maria's spear, blood coming from her hand, Koto near Hibiki with his staff trained on Ver.

"T-Torio?!" Maria gasped, and her stance wavered for a moment, Hibiki giving a chuckle.

"See? Your friend came here for you." Hibiki said, "And you can always find that reason later. Just don't give up on living!"

" _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"_

In time with Hibiki's call, to the shock of the others around, Maria's spear and armor vanished into light, a glow beginning to shine around the area and the air moving with it.

"What's going on?!" Oratorio yelped, Koto giving a laugh.

"She's doing her thing! Hibiki's got this habit of being absurd! Who'd of thought she'd swipe a Symphogear from someone?" Koto let out the laugh as he had an arm raised to cover his eyes, "This is what her song can do huh? Oi, Hibiki mind telling us the name of it?!"

"Piercing Spear: GUNGNIR!" Hibiki's call of the Gear came with the reformation of the familiar armor over her figure, and in the remaining glow from the reformation, Maria's eyes were wide in shock at the sight.

"She's… attuned with the Gungnir?" Maria murmured.

"It _was_ her previous Relic after all. Doesn't matter if it was another one, it was still the same Relic. Of course she can use it." Koto stated, looking down when Ver scrambled away with a scream. "HEY!"

"Waaahhh! No!" Ver shouted, tumbling down the stairs, and he flinched when Oratorio's foot slammed down in front of his face, Ver screaming as Oratorio grabbed his jacket and lifted him, "AHHH!"

"Don't think you're getting off easy!" Oratorio snapped, his right fist flying forward and slamming into Ver's face, the sound of cracking bones sounding as Ver was sent sprawling to the ground, blood beginning to come from the man's mouth.

"Nooo… I can'f le' i' en' hiss way!" Ver managed to barely choke out the words, shrieking when Oratorio stepped over to him again, slapping his left hand on the ground, a hole opening up in the ground, Ver scrambling off to get into it, Oratorio clicking his tongue when Ver vanished through it.

"He's got to be heading to the core… well, he's going to get one hell of a welcome party." Oratorio remarked, looking back up the platform, Hibiki supporting a collapsed Maria, and Oratorio looked back when he heard other footsteps, Genjuuro and Ogawa arriving from the elevator.

"Oh hey, boss, Shinji, you're late to the party!" Koto chuckled.

"Hibiki-san, where did you get that Symphogear?!" Ogawa asked, Koto making a sound at being ignored.

"Maria-san's Gungnir responded to my song." Hibiki answered, and everyone flinched when the ground began shaking, Koto and Oratorio looking out to see that they were _moving._

"The hell now?!" Koto yelped.

"With his left arm connected to the Frontier, Ver can move it any way he likes." Maria said, Koto raising a brow.

"So that's why his arm looked so damn weird." Koto remarked.

"The Frontier is powered by the Nephilim's heart. If we can stop the heart, we can stop Ver as well." Maria murmured, not looking over when Oratorio stepped up and kneeled down to be in view of her, his Gear vanishing.

"That's already covered. Skalla, Kirika, Shirabe, and Suiv are headed to the core right now to see what they can do. They'll be sure to stop Ver if he arrives there, I don't have any doubts about it." Oratorio leaned in to try and get Maria to look at him, and she only looked away from him. "I also don't have any doubt Ver is heading for the core to try and make the Nephilim go berserk. If he does, someone is going to have to fight it."

"We can handle that." Koto said, Hibiki nodding as she stood up, Oratorio nodding as well, all of them looking over when they heard a smashing sound, Genjuuro having punched a hole in the flooring, "Boss?"

"Leave Dr. Ver to us. I can't just let those kids handle him on their own. Someone needs to arrest him after all." Genjuuro said.

"Don't be surprised if you find him beat to high hell. Otherwise, do what you want with him." Oratorio stated.

"Right. Let's go." Genjuuro got a nod from Ogawa, both jumping down into the hole, Oratorio looking to Koto and Hibiki as they hopped onto the nimbus cloud.

"We'll see what we can do out there! If the Nephilim goes wild, we'll beat it down!" Hibiki said, Koto giving a chuckle.

"Just leave it to us. You guys got something to do of your own too, yeah?" Koto asked, Oratorio nodding before the cloud left the area, Oratorio turning back to Maria as she remained on her knees.

"Maria…" Oratorio murmured, a hand closing tightly.

* * *

"This is it!" Suiv and the other three came to a stop once they reached what had to be the glowing core of the Frontier, a giant crystal between two pillars with other crystalline growths spiraling around it, Suiv immediately going to the nearby console.

"Where's the Nephilim's heart on it?" Skalla squinted as he tried to spot the item somewhere on the core, Kirika shading her eyes as she looked too.

"It should be somewhere on there yeah?" Kirika said, Shirabe humming.

"It may have fully assimilated with the Frontier." Shirabe suggested, sliding over to Suiv, "Sui-kun, anything?"

"No, the damn thing isn't working!" Suiv snapped, slamming the console, "Tch, it must be _because_ he used the Nephilim to power it. It'll only respond to something similar!"

"Exactly! Wifou' somethi' like this, you haf no ho'e of brin'in the Frontier under your confol!" The four shot around when they heard Ver's mad cackle, the man showing his deformed left arm, but their expressions showed it was hard to take the man seriously with his speech being so slurred up, "And furfer more, I sen' your prefiuos "mofer" to tfe moon!"

"WHAT?!" Kirika yelped, though before she could lurch, Skalla grabbed her by the arm, shaking his head.

"So? Mom would still want us to stop you!" Skalla said, pointing one of his short swords at Ver, Suiv and Shirabe standing guard at the panel, "So like he'll we'll let you touch that thing!"

"Y-yeah!" Kirika said, pulling out her scythe and taking a stance, Ver giving a notable growl of aggravation.

"Stufid chil'ren shoul' jus' ge' ou' of my way!" Ver screamed, diving for the console, Suiv slashing with his dagger as the man did, Ver's hand managing to press onto the console, but as he did, the blade of the dagger's blade then pierced flesh as contact was made, the moment seeming to slow down in that instant before speeding up, a piercing scream of agony coming from Ver as the lower half of his forearm was slashed clean off by the dagger, the man collapsing to the ground in writhing pain as the remains of his hand fell from the console, "MY HAND MY HAND MY HANDMYHANDMYHAND!"

"We said… you're not activating it!" Suiv snapped, staring for a moment at the blood dripping from his dagger, and when he looked to the severed hand twitching on the ground, his hand went to his mouth as he suddenly heaved, Shirabe grabbing him as he lurched over, the boy barely keeping himself from vomiting.

"Hey, it's okay, it's what you had to do." Shirabe said, patting Suiv on the back a bit, the young man nodding, but he couldn't remove the sour taste from his mouth, a rueful glare on his face as he looked at the writhing Ver.

"I'll… gla'ly lose a han'… the Nephilim is… goin' to go… wil' anyway!" Ver snapped, the Symphogear users looking up at the screen that had appeared, showing the now gathered 2nd Division Symphogears progressing along the surface of the Frontier, "Those annoyin' s'ray ca's will be gone! AHAHAHAHAH!"

"This isn't gonna be good." Skalla murmured.

* * *

The 2nd Division team stopped their progress as they came across a part of the ground that was beginning to shift, looks of confusion on their faces as the ground then rose up, the earth forming into a monstrous shape and taking a form all took like the Nephilim they had faced before.

"EHHHHHH?! How is that fair?!" Ritsudo shouted, Chris scoffing.

"At this point it doesn't matter what comes!" Chris said, Ritsudo giving her a look as the creature let out a roar, the team then leaping back when it launched a flurry of missile like spines at them.

"That autonomous Relic from before?!" Kyomei yelped, the creature then firing a blast of lava from it's maw at Ritsudo and Chris, the two pulling back from that as a burning mark was left in the ground from the blast.

"It spits _lava?!_ Seriously?!" Ritsudo snapped, stopping in the air as his Gear's wings flared out.

"It's gotta be really fired up for that!" Chris said, another roar coming from the Nephilim, "So what're we gonna do?"

"Kick it's tail obviously!" Koto shouted, rising up on the nimbus, "But… this is definitely the "final battle" kind of thing."

* * *

"There's nothing I can do…" Maria's words sounded utterly broken as she remained slumped on the ground, "Serena's songs… I'm wasting them… along with her death."

"Maria, they're only wasted so long as you think like that." Oratorio said, kneeling down in front of Maria, a look coming to his face when he saw the falling tears coming from Maria's eyes, "Maria, what is it that you want to do?"

"I want to save the world with my songs." Maria murmured, "I want to save everyone from the coming disaster caused by the falling moon."

"Then don't hide anything. Just be who you are, there's nothing else you need to do. You don't need to save the world to live… not when you have so much more in front of you." Oratorio said, putting his hands on Maria's face and moving her head so he could look at her, "But just having the desire alone is enough."

"But how?! I'm not strong like you!" Maria shouted, standing up and turning away, Oratorio rising to his feet, "I can't naturally use a Symphogear, and I'm not that strong willed or doubtless…"

"And I'm only strong because I have you!" Oratorio said, Maria gasping, "I can be that strong because of you. The fact I'm naturally compatible with my Gear doesn't mean a damn thing! You're my reason to fight Maria, and that's all I need to be strong! Desire alone is enough, and it's because I love you I can feel that way! My feelings aren't a burden, they're the thing that make me who I am!"

"Because of me?" Maria murmured, and she gasped again when Oratorio hugged her from behind, the young woman slowly drawing a hand up to his arms as she grit her teeth, "You're strong because of me?"

"Yes. I fight because I want to see that shining smile of yours, not just to change this world." Oratorio said, the sound of Maria's breath skipping for a moment sounding, and he only tightened his hold on her, "I love you Maria, and I don't need any other reason to be strong. You're not weak at all, I promise… you just need a real reason to fight, not some false goal."

"Torio…" Maria murmured, an uncontrolled well of tears coming to her eyes.

" _The apple floated into the sky."_ Maria gasped again as Oratorio's voice rang out in the first line of the familiar song of their childhood, and her expression relaxed into a smile as the hand on Oratorio's arm gripped a bit tighter.

" _The apple fell down to the ground."_ Maria too started singing in reply to it, their voices joining together again as it was just them, alone in this space of their own.

 _ **The stars were born.  
The song were born.  
The Lulu Amel smiled for eternity.**_

 _ **The stars kissed.  
The songs slept.  
Where will they call home?  
Where will they call home?**_

" _Oratorio, Maria!"_ Natassja's voice coming across the communication line made both singers stop, the two turning to the central orb of the station.

"Mom?!" Oratorio gasped, Maria placing her hands on the device.

"You're alive!?" Maria gasped, clear relief in her voice.

" _The entire world is resonating with your song. This much Phonic Gain is sufficient enough to activate the Lunar Ruins."_ Natassja said, Oratorio's eyes widening.

"That means the moon can be put back to it's normal orbit, right?" Oratorio asked, Natassja giving a sound of affirmative, but realization quickly came to Oratorio's face, "But… if you do that…"

" _I shall take responsibility for stopping the moon."_ Natassja stated, Maria also looking as if she realized what this meant, tears coming to her eyes again.

"Mom!" Maria gasped, but Natassja continued.

" _There is nothing left to bind you two."_ Natassja said, _"Go, Maria, Oratorio. Let me hear your songs."_

"Mom…" Maria murmured, biting her lip and steeling herself, giving a nod, "Okay, Mom! Torio?"

"Right, let's go!" Oratorio said, Maria turning around and flicking out an arm.

"It's time for the curtain to rise on the greatest show in the world!" Maria declared, Oratorio nodding as he produced his sword, jabbing the tip in the ground.

"One people will never forget!"

* * *

The blows the Symphogears were landing on the Nephilim, in short order, were hardly effective even when landed. Whether it was being cut wide open by Ritsudo and Tsubasa, bludgeoned into the dirt by Koto and Hibiki, or riddled with bullets/arrows/missiles by Chris and Kyomei, the massive beast simply wouldn't stay down or even remain injured for long, retaliating with power swipes from it's arms or blasts of lava from it's maw.

"Seriously this thing is unfair as hell!" Ritsudo grimaced as he drifted back from dodging a swipe of the arms, his blade driving into the flesh of the beast and spraying it's green blood everywhere from the cut, Koto dropping down onto the beast with an enlarged staff, making it lurch downwards, but through force alone it shrugged the blow off.

"Blow it away, Vijaya!" Kyomei called out as a massive arrow charged at his bow as it enlarged and stuck itself into the ground, the massive projectile being loosed in a resounding blast forward and slamming the Nephilim, enveloping the creature in a massive explosion that rocked the ground, but to his surprise, the Nephilim hardly looked scratched, "Yeah, totally unfair!"

The Nephilim reared it's head to attack again, but, as one of it's arms twisted out to strike at the nearest foe, Hibiki, the extended limb was suddenly caught in wires as extended chains shot into the ground, another resounding sound coming through the air, Skalla dropping through and slamming his weapons together, transitioning them from a staff and then into a massive hammer, slamming the weapon onto the Nephilim's face as Kirika rocketed down propelling a massive guillotine blade downwards, severing the Nephilim's limb cleanly. And following suit to those two, the Nephilim's other arm was blasted off by a swirling violet beam, Shirabe shooting by with Suiv hanging on to her as he held the blast coming from his daggers, Shirabe's buzz saw wheel cutting clean into the flesh of the beast as she shot by it.

"Sorry we're late to the party!" Skalla chuckled as the four of them landed, Kirika giggling as she leaned on her scythe, "Gada…"

"Igalima…" Kirika said.

"Shul Shagana." Shirabe said.

"And Carwennan have arrived." Suiv concluded, flicking his arm to return his daggers to their holders.

"You guys came!" Hibiki cheered, the four younger Gear users turning to the Nephilim.

"Yeah, but this thing is gonna be one tough boss." Skalla said, making an "ech" sound as the wounded beast regenerated it's damaged parts.

"It'll definitely be a challenge." Kirika added.

"But we have our songs!" Maria's voice rang out over the area, the others looking to the source in surprise, the young woman standing atop one of the floating bits of land, Oratorio by her side with his Gear active.

"And those'll be all we need!" Oratorio added, the other Gear Users leaping to the perch to join the two.

"Well, you two certainly look confident." Koto mused, Oratorio looking at the other young man with a small chuckle.

"I won't hesitate anymore." Maria said, clutching the Symphogear pendant around her neck, "Mom is risking her life to stop the moon from falling."

"So let's not let her down!" Oratorio shouted, the Nephilim starting to charge a massive ball of the lava-like energy, unleashing it at the Symphogears with no direct path to stop it, a massive ball of fire exploding through the air on impact…

" _Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron!"_

But a call from Maria cast aside the dust surrounding them, all twelve users surrounded by light and a barrier orb around them, Maria wreathed in light as the pendant she had glowed.

" _Even if it's just one time, the Airgetlam will let her fight… so please, Serena, help me let your older sister fight again!"_ Oratorio thought, directly in front of Maria as he spread his arms, the familiar threads of light of a Synchronize pulsing out from his Gear and to Maria. "Because here and now, we're going to create a miracle!"

 **(Start Song "Hajimari no Uta (Babel)" from the OST, sung by** _ **everyone!)**_

As the collective song from all of the users rang out, the Nephilim readied another blast from, unleashing it only for Hibiki to respond by slamming her gauntlets together.

"Set Harmonic! S2CA! Turn Phonic Gain into power!" Hibiki screamed as she shot from the barrier and let her fist fly at the blast, blowing it away in a single clean blow.

"Man she is just absurd. Always kicking reason to the curb." Ritsudo snickered, Chris chuckling as she grabbed his hand.

"Yeah but that's how it always is right? Reason goes out the window once stuff like this happens." Chris said, Ritsudo nodding in response.

"When melodies are drawn together, there's no need for reasons." Tsubasa said, extending a hand to Shirabe.

"And impossible becomes possible." Kyomei added, taking Tsubasa's hand while Suiv took one of Shirabe's, the girl hesitant for a moment before taking Tsubasa's offered grasp.

"Guess there's no hope for me either." Chris mused, holding out her other hand to Kirika, who had already gripped Skalla's right hand in her left.

"Nah I'd there's plenty for ya'. We're just a bunch of absurd people, as humans tend to be." Ritsudo added, Kirika and Skalla both chuckling, Kirika then taking the offered hand.

"That goes for us too!" Kirika said, Skalla snickering.

"We're just as crazy!" Skalla added.

"And not much more." Koto said, joining a hand with Suiv and Hibiki as the girl came on back, and as Hibiki reached out to finish the link with Ritsudo, she paused for a moment when he held out the hilt of his sword.

"Huh?" Hibiki hummed, Ritsudo chuckling.

"Just an idea. Wanna improvise another finisher?" Ritsudo asked, Chris leaning forward a bit.

"But this time, with all of us making it!" Chris said, Hibiki taking not a single moment more to nod as grip Ritsudo's blade, the joined auras shooting across the weapon as she did, and responding to it, the black section on the blade began shining, colored pulses shooting across it to the beats of their song.

"I want to believe that what you're doing isn't hypocrisy." Shirabe said, Hibiki and Ritsudo both glancing at the girl, "So show us up close what you mean when you talk about saving people."

"Get to know her well enough and you'll get Hibiki does this all the time." Ritsudo said, Hibiki nodding, the two then lifting the sword, "Now let's go! Twelve Climax Songs ringing as one… this is the kind of power us, no, the entire world can create, it can make a miracle!"

"That's right!" Hibiki said, their barrier being impacted by dozens of beams from the Nephilim, their Gears all starting to shift about and seemingly shatter, "It's not just twelve… we're bringing together seven billion Climax Songs!"

With the ringing sounds of twelve voices following, their auras shined brightly and burst forward, the twelve Symphogears rising higher, and with bursts from their powers, all had become garbed in divine white, all with wings of light bursting forth from their renewed Symphogears, the miracle of X-Drive shining forth from all of them.

The Symphogears of the 2nd Division group no longer had the forms of their previous usage of the mode, instead the forms were far more in tune to their evolved gears, the shapes of the wings they bore changed as well. Koto's had placed him in streaming trails of light from multiple parts of his body, clanging rings of light marking the four wings at his back, while Hibiki's new X-Drive was simpler, but with wings at her back like those of a butterfly. Kyomei had retained the asymmetrical appearance, but his bow itself had become energy in his hands, and Tsubasa was armed herself with larger blades matched to the surging wings. Chris herself had butterfly like wings making the red zones of on the white, with flower like flares at other parts, and Ritsudo shows again six wings that pulsed like flames as the sword in his hand continued shining brighter than even those, feather like trails making other parts of the white armor.

And the FIS group, while simpler, was just as grand. Kirika had the wings of light coming from her hat like piece, while her armor was accented in bright green shades and built up shoulder segments, Skalla's wings shifting downwards like a cape from his back as he held the true hammer form of his weapon aloft. Shirabe had light coming from the elongated tail pieces on her head despite the armor's simple form, and Suiv's Gear had produced constructs around him like turn tables connected by streams of pulsing light. Maria had been garbed in a gown like Gear set, a silver aura wreathing her as matching wings flowed down the back of the dress segment, and Oratorio's armor had become white as the sun, six burning wings of fire coming from his back as the sword in his hand flared as bright as a star.

"Just like before… these Symphogears were given to us…" Ritsudo started, everyone joining together in a charge as their auras began swirling together, the Nephilim dead in their sights as they blasted downwards.

" _ **BY EVERYONE'S SONGS!"**_ All twelve shouted, their impact blowing the Nephilim back and sending a massive tornado of rainbow energy spiraling upwards and into space itself, and once it dissipated, the twelve angelic figures were left above the Frontier alone, light drifting down around them all.

 _ **(end song)**_

* * *

"Wha'?" Ver, having been watching the entire proceedings, could only collapse to the floor in shock.

"Dr. Ver!" Genjuuro's voice called out, Ver looking up with the same expression still plastering his face as Genjuuro and Ogawa approached, "Looks like the world was just a bit too big for you.

"Tch." Ver gritted his teeth, and as he attempted to move the stump of his left arm to the panel, Ogawa whipped out his pistol and fired, the bullet arcing through the air and right onto Ver's shadow, the man's arm stopping dead, Ver trying to force the limb to move.

"I won't let you do that." Ogawa said, Ver grimacing.

"If a mira'le is the reward for t'ying your har'es'…" Ver's deranged slurs were met with vessels popping on his stump of an arm, blood flying from more than _just_ the severed area, "The' I'm the one who deser's a mira'le!"

Ver's roar was met with his arm _moving_ despite the hold, slamming the end of it onto the panel, a pulse shooting across the panel and causing the core to shine.

"What did you do?!" Genjuuro snapped, Ver giving a mad sounding chuckle to match the deranged smirk on his face.

"Jus' one word." Ver said, "I ordered the Fron'ier to purge the Nephilim's hear'! Which means i's ou' of mah con'rol! I'will de'our the Fron'ier's hull, and use i's ener'y to ram'age! The ener'y it releases will be a 'rillion de'rees! If I can' be a hero, t'en le' the world burn!" Ver cackled, but as he did, he then fell back without another word, Ogawa and Genjuuro approaching the man.

"It looks like the shock of what he did made him pass out." Ogawa said, checking Ver's pulse, "His body couldn't handle the stress anymore."

"But then this." Genjuuro said, letting out a yell as he slammed a fist onto the structure, a sizable chunk being blown out… but not a single change happening, "Not enough huh?"

* * *

"Understood. We'll deal with it before it goes critical." Tsubasa nodded as the information about the gone wild core reached them, and the results were quickly showing as arcs of lightning began shooting across the structures of the Frontier, more light pulsing from below before the main structure burst wide open, a pulsing sphere of energy rising from the blast zone as the air around was buffeted into a storm, all of them retreating back as the mass began extending over the entire island itself.

And once it _had,_ the pulsing extensions had gathered into one singular orb, which itself them expanded out into what could be called little more than a titan, a being of a burning body and demonic form of entirety.

"That's what the commander warned us about." Kyomei murmured.

"The Nephilim's regenerating Heart… the damn thing's consumed the entire Frontier." Oratorio murmured, the titanic monster letting out a piercing roar.

The first ones to move forward where Shirabe, Kirike, Skalla, and Suiv. The first reached out, and the segments of her Gear launched off of her figure, each one locking together and expanding until it had formed a mecha that Shirabe dropped into the head of, Suiv following suit and the turn table segments of his Gear locking onto Shirabe's device as he dropped into the area next to her, purple segments appearing on the mech.

Skalla and Kirka slammed the hilts of their weapons together, forming a tri-bladed scythe merged with the massive bladed hammer, both spinning the massive weapon around with their own grips on it as golden pulses began to shoot through the space around them as they charged forward with Suiv and Shirabe, and while their attacks connected, the result was _not_ what was expected, as rather than damaging the Nephilim, streaks of energy from their Gears came flying off to their screams from it, the Nephilim drawing in the energy.

"So it doesn't just eat Relics, it can also eat their energy?" Maria gasped, Oratorio clicking his tongue.

"Which means we can't so much as attack it without risking ourselves!" Oratorio said.

"And if that thing goes critical, then Earth will go with it!" Koto shouted.

"That can't happen!" Hibiki said, and then Chris shot forward, the Staff of Solomon in hand.

"Babylonia: Full Open!" Chris shouted, a beam arching from the Staff and past the Nephilim, opening a wide gate just behind it, and Ritsudo snickered as he drifted near her.

"The Treasury! Perfect idea Chris! We just need to get it in there and it'll change where the explosion happens!" Ritsudo shouted.

"Show me you can do more than just kill, Solomon!" Chris roared, Ritsudo placing a hand on her shoulder to add more power to it, both yelling as light arced from the Staff and opened the gate even wider, the gate opening fully to reveal an entirely different place with different structures all around.

"This'll work!" Hibiki cheered.

"Yukine, Narukami, dodge!" Tsubasa shouted as the Nephilim began moving an arm, the two being bat aside from the blow, the staff flying from Chris's grasp and into the air, Maria shooting forward and catching it, Oratorio joining her and grasping the Staff himself.

"For tomorrow!" Both shouted as they aimed the Staff again and continued the process, the gate opening wide enough for the Nephilim to fall into as gravity began to drag it down, but as it did, it snared Oratorio and Maria with tendrils even as they dodged, the two being pulled down with it.

"Oh like hell this thing is dragging us down!" Oratorio snapped, his sword locking open and blasting downwards, freeing him and Maria, but for all of a moment before the tendrils snapped around them again, "Seriously?!"

"There's no way this will atone for our sins… but…" Maria murmured, "If we can protect all lives… and if I'm with you, then I'm fine accepting this fate."

"Maria…" Oratorio murmured, looking down as Maria clasped her hand to his, and he let out a breath, "Well, they do tend to say there's good ways to die, but…"

"Oi oi oi! Don't go and get all self sacrificy on me now, I freaking hate that stuff!" Ritsudo spoke as he drifted down near the two, Maria and Oratorio looking at him with surprised expressions, everyone else following, "But if you're in this for saving lives, then I'm game to fight this thing!"

"We'll protect your life too, okay?" Hibiki added.

"And like I'd let you pull that." Oratorio said, breaking him and Maria free again with another blast of fire, "So, let's finish this fight, and come out alive!"

"I'm not a hero… so I can't save the world." Hibiki said, clasping a hand to her chest, "But we… we aren't alone!"

 _ **(Begin song "Vitalization", the G OP!)**_

"Hehe, guess it's final boss time." Ritsudo mused, the entire group drifting past the gate with the Nephilim and into the void of structures and the Noise, the gate closing behind them with flickers of light following it.

And once they were, the fighting began. Hibiki and Koto led out with Hibiki locking herself to the tip of Koto's enlarged staff, locking her gauntlets together to form both into a massive spear tip atop the weapon, both yelling as they charged, Koto's rapid swings scything through the Noise with ease as they shot around the area. Kyomei's rain of energy arrows was matched by Tsubasa's whirling sword slashes, the boy charging one massive arrow and letting it loose, Tsubasa flying to it and spinning around the projectile with her blades forward and spinning, piercing past the Noise like a drill before Tsubasa broke away as the arrow impacted one of the structures and tore through even more swathes of the creatures, and not to be left behind, Chris's massive firing platform of a construct blasted through the swarm by hundreds, matched by the speedy flight of Ritsudo through the storm as his blade's length was increased by the wind energy shooting from it, a veritable tornado flying from the katana as he slashed and flew about through the storm that was Chris's onslaught of firepower.

"Just one Staff can't control this many Noise at once!" Maria gritted her teeth as she looked through the swarm, Oratorio blasting away ones that drew too close with a massive wave of pure plasma bursting from his sword, the other two FIS pairs coming close from their own attacks.

"But that's not the goal here." Oratorio said, "Maria, we should open the Treasury again so we can fly out! So long as we're out before the Nephilim goes critical, then we win this battle!"

"What?" Maria murmured.

"If it can be opened from the outside, then opening it from the inside should also work." Suiv stated, a swipe of his hands across the turn tables sending turning storms of energy through the swarm, "I doubt the plan was to be in here fighting the Noise as long as we could."

"That thing is a key, so use it!" Chris shouted.

"Get us home free!" Ritsudo yelled.

"Come on, we can do this!" Oratorio gripped the Staff over Maria's hand, the young woman nodding as they raised it again.

"Serena!" Maria shouted, her and oratorio releasing another blast, a new gate opening to blue skies appearing from the source.

"Alright! Let's ditch before that thing tries to get out!" Ritsudo shouted, "Chris, let's go!"

"On it!" Chris nodded, her platform locking off and flying off in an Armor Purge attack that blew through the Noise, Chris following Ritsudo as Tsubasa and Kyomei released pieces of their own Gears for more speed, though as the twelve shot for the opened hole, the Nephilim shot by and got right in the way of it, causing them all to brake to a halt. "Looks like there's no going around."

"Then we've only got on path forward!" Koto said.

"Let's hold hands!" Hibiki shouted, everyone nodding and doing so, until the only ones left were Ritsudo and Oratorio gripping their swords in their respective dominant hands, right and left, Maria then shortly releasing Oratorio's hand, drawing a blade of her own from her Gear, sending it aloft above them, the drawn weapon particularly similar to Oratorio's own sword.

"I won't let go so easily!" Maria said, grasping Oratorio's hand again.

Oratorio and Ritusdo then crossed their blades and raised them high, the drawn sword from Maria glowing brightly as it contacted the point between the two swords.

" _ **The fastest, shortest route…"**_ Both Oratorio and Ritsudo shouted, Maria's sword shining and bursting into particles, the light beginning to surround the twelve as they were lifted upwards, the two in the lead releasing their blades as pieces of Maria and Hibiki's Gears disconnected, the two armors forming twin hands that soon had more added as Claimoh Solais and Kusanagi themselves changed, attaching to the two metal hands as they glowed silver and gold and forming bladed gauntlets, the two young men in the lead bumping their fists together as the two gauntlets locked together, _**"Is straight forward!"**_

The yelling voices of the twelve followed the spinning attack that was launched, the Nephilim's attempt to retaliate being blown completely away in a storm of slashes being cut through the air itself, the gauntlets then impacting cleanly and bursting through in one massive blow right through it's chest.

 _ **[VITALIZATION]**_

Light burst from the blow as the Symphogears were sent hurtling through the Nephilim and the portal, crashing down onto a beach just through it, dust flying through the air from the impact, all of them left scattered and battered on the ground, the Staff stuck in the sand, and above, the Nephilim was starting to spark, but the gate remained open.

"The Staff… we need to close the gate…" Maria murmured, Oratorio struggling to his knees.

"Else… the Nephilim will…" Oratorio grumbled, grimacing as he failed to stand.

"It's not over yet…" Chris muttered, Ritsudo chuckling as he forced himself up.

"Because we've got other friends who can help!" Ritsudo looked up with a shut eye to the remaining segment of the 2nd Division base that was just on the other end of the beach, and Hibiki's face broke into a smile as she rose up too.

"My best friend." Hibiki said, looking over to see Miku sprinting over.

"I'm going to fight too!" Miku shouted, grabbing the Staff and planting a foot into the sand, "Please, close!"

Miku threw the staff as hard as she could as if it was a javelin, and while it sailed high into the sky, it almost seemed like it wouldn't reach, but, with a pull of his own, Koto rose back to his feet, letting out a determined yell as he lifted Ruyi Jingu Bang, it's aura bursting out, and as his arm moved, a phantasmal image followed his movement, guiding his arm along as he threw the staff, the item bursting through the air and slamming into the Staff of Solomon, rocketing it forward at an even greater speed, right through the gate as the Nephilim began to glow, the gate closing as the Staff rocketed through it, and for a brief moment, the sky grew dark as a pulse shot across it, but, the sky shortly returned to blue.

"Hehehe… thank you… Kanade…" Koto let out the last chuckle as he dropped to his knees, panting heavily as he dropped down.

"Yeahhh hahahahaaa! We freaking won!" Ritsudo let out a cheer as he managed to stand, and then he promptly fell backwards into the sand, a tired laugh coming from him as his arms spread out, "Finally… we actually freaking beat those things."

* * *

In a few short hours afterwards, the tension from the battle had finally released as the sun began to set, the air filled with the sounds of the rescue choppers coming to retrieve those on the beach, Kyomei rushing back to the gathered Gear users from afar, panting once he stopped.

"I just got the news… from Ogawa-san." Kyomei panted, looking up to the others with a grin, "The moon is going back to it's normal orbit, there's no risk of it falling anymore!"

"Alright!" Ritsudo cheered, throwing a fist up, Suiv then approaching.

"And what about mo… Dr. Nastassja?" Suiv asked, Kyomei's look becoming a bit more sullen.

"They lost contact with her." Kyomei said, Suiv giving a steady nod.

"That was much was expected." Suiv said, turning back to the others as they stared out at the coast, Maria and Oratorio standing just at the edge of the water in hand, both staring at the moon with solemn looks.

"She gave her life for the future. Hm, hell of a way for her to go." Oratorio said, gripping Maria's hand a bit tighter as a wistful smile came to his face., the young woman nodding to his comment.

"Thank you, Mother." Maria said, leaning a bit more on Oratorio's arm.

"Maria-san?" Hibiki's voice got the two to turn, Maria looking down at the Gungnir pendant Hibiki was holding out to her now, Maria giving a soft smile.

"The Gungnir belongs to you." Maria said, looking back to the moon, "But, we reactivated the Lunar Ruins."

"The Curse of Balal?" Tsubasa murmured, Chris giving a scornful scoff.

"So humanity's mutual understanding has only gotten further away now?" Chris muttered, Ritsudo giving a shrug then looking at his pendant.

"Maybe for now. But… one of these days, I'm gonna break that curse with my own two hands!" Ritsudo lifted his hand up and closed it, the chain of the pendant jingling from the motion, his fist closed right over the moon, "Even if we keep getting tested in the future, no matter what new enemy arrives, I'll beat them all down myself if I have to!"

"Don't go and try to shoot off on your own now. I've got your back the whole way." Chris said, tapping Ritsudo on the shoulder as he lowered his arm, the young man chuckling.

"It's fine. Everything's okay!" Hibiki said, "Because there are songs in this world!"

"Well, guess that's one way of saying it." Ritsudo mused, looking over when Shirabe stepped up.

"Sometimes, people will be connected. But that isn't some other place. Or some far future." Shirabe said, looking between Ritsudo and Hibiki, "We shared it just now."

"Heh, well put." Suiv noted, Shirabe nodding.

"Wait… where's Koto at?" Kyomei noted, looking around, the others then spotting the blonde young man a further way down the beach, Koto's cerulean eyes locked on the setting sun, and the young man gave a chuckle as he pocketed his hands.

"So… this is it huh? This is what the other side looks like." Koto murmured, a wistful expression coming to him despite the smile on his face, "We finally made it… hehehe…"

"Hey, don't start crying now, you'll end up looking bad in front of the others."

"Huh?!" Koto's head snapped to the side as the air shifted and carried a voice with it, his tear lidded eyes widening as the shifting light of the setting sun, the glow revealing a familiar figure silhouetted by the twilight glow, fluffy red hair drifting about and bright red eyes of a smiliar shade matching the pleasant smile, Koto's form shuddering as the tears finally fell, "Kanade…"

"Hey, long time no see." Kanade said, a dainty wave coming from the girl, her gaze turning to the sunset, "It looks nice huh? A sunset leading to a new future, it's almost perfect."

"H-How?" Koto murmured, and that was when he noticed Kanade looked near ethereal, barely able to see through her form, "I'm… not just hallucinating, am I?"

"No." Kanade said, shaking her head, "I'm really here right now. I just… wanted to give a proper goodbye. It's probably been a long time coming. But, still… I'm glad you've stayed so strong, Koto."

"But I wasn't." Koto murmured, a hand clenching down, "I broke, I was weak… I wouldn't have let _him_ take over if I had been."

"And yet you're standing here right now. On the other side of our battlefield, surrounded by friends who've made you stronger than ever." Kanade turned forward again, but Koto could see the glimmers on her face, and the tears that fell left marks in the sand, physical proof, "Honestly, I kinda wish I could've seen it all."

"But you were there the whole time, weren't you?" Koto said, putting a hand to his chest as a sad smile formed, "Ever since then… I always felt like someone was there, watching, pushing me forward and keeping me going."

"Hehe, you're always the smart one." Kanade noted, her expression wistful, "But… I also really don't want to say goodbye."

"Kanade…" Koto murmured, and finally, he felt something in him break, stepping forward, and despite barely feeling something there, he hugged Kanade closely as he felt held back emotions washing up, "It doesn't have to be goodbye! I don't care what's happened, from this life to the next, in each and every one to follow it, I promise, I'll find you again and again, and each time I do I'll say the same thing! I don't care if you have to leave now, I'm not letting go… I love you, so I can't… so I swear, no matter how many times, or how many lives, I always will, and I'll find you and take hold every time!"

"Koto…" Kanade couldn't do anything but return the embrace as her own tears welled up, burying her face in Koto's chest, "You're right, it won't, we'll meet again, I'm sure of it… It's only goodbye right now!"

"Yeah, only for now." Koto said, moving back just a bit, his hands falling to Kanade's face, moving away the tears on her cheeks, "At least send me off with a smile, yeah?"

"Dummy, you're the one who's supposed to be doing the sending off." Kanade said, putting a hand to one of Koto's as her smile returned, "Be sure to tell those two I'm proud of them, please."

"Of course." Koto said, and after a moment a pause, the two shared a kiss filled with all the missing emotions left from it, though in a moment to follow, it was like Kanade slipped away from Koto, her hand passing through his, a warm smile on her face as she moved back, her form even more transparent than before as specks of light began drifting off of her.

"Well, looks like I'm outta time for now." Kanade noted, looking over when footsteps in the sand sounded, Koto turning to spot everyone else, sans the FIS group, rushing to him, and they all stopped in abject shock when his motion brought Kanade into full view, Tsubasa and Kyomei with the most shocked looks among them all, "Ah, hey you two! Definitely been a long time huh?"

"N-No way…" Kyomei murmured, Tsubasa's hands at her mouth as a shuddering breath escaped her throat.

"Kanade?" Tsubasa's ability to hold herself completely dropped as tears began welling at her eyes, Kanade nodding.

"Well then, I guess I can say it up front huh?" Kanade mused, "Tsubasa, Kyomei, good job. I'm proud of both of you!"

Words couldn't even be formed from the two veteran users as Kanade gave a warm smile, the young woman looking to Ritsudo, Chris, and Hibiki, then turning back to Koto and the other two.

"I'll be sure to meet all of you again some time. So, keep an eye out yeah? Else you might just miss me at your next tour, 'kay Tsubasa?" Kanade said, Tsubasa only nodding as Kyomei was now holding her up, fighting tears of his own, "See you later Koto."

"Yeah. See you later Kanade." Koto said, raising his hand, and as the high five passed, Kanade's form faded into light as the air blew past, Koto clenching his hand as he moved it down, but the relieved smile on his face didn't fade as he looked to the setting sun as the others followed the trailing bits of light off, "I'll find you soon, I promise."

"So that was Kanade-san." Hibiki murmured, holding the Gungnir pendant a bit tighter, abject awe on her features, and Ritsudo gave a hum as his eyes trailed from the sunset and back to the moon.

"Looks things are moving forward for everybody." Ritsudo noted, holding his hand aloft again and closing it around the moon slowly, "Feels nice."

"Darn right about that." Chris said, reaching up and wrapping her hand around Ritsudo's, giving him a smile, "We're all moving ahead together!"

* * *

"Never thought I'd be saying it out loud, but feels good to be back at school!" Ritsudo stretched his arms up, bringing them back down and adjusting his headphones as Chris gave an amused chuckle to his statement, Tsubasa and Kyomei both giving amused sighs, "A normal life is the way to go!"

"Though I doubt we'll get this for long." Chris said, threading the fingers of one hand through one of Ritsudo's, and the young man gave a snicker to the reply.

"Ah we'll be fine! We're awesome like that!" Ritsudo said, throwing his other hand up.

"Points for enthusiasm huh?" Kyomei mused, Tsubasa just shaking her head with a shrug.

"Senpai, you need to embrace the idea of affection a bit more." Chris said, and Tsubasa's eyes went wide.

"So Narukami _has_ been a good influence on you!" Tsubasa said, Kyomei snickering to himself, Ritsudo chuckling as Chris went red in the face.

"You _were_ pricklier than a cactus when we first met." Ritsudo noted, Chris giving him a small glare.

"You're not helping!" Chris snapped, Ritsudo snickering again. "Seriously…"

"Yeah but I can't help but admit I find it kinda cute." Ritsudo said, Chris' face popping to red again as she started shuffling her feet, "Oh so you can get embarrassed!"

"Is ruining moments your hobby or something?!" Chris yelped, Ritsudo nodding.

"Yep. Just like my penchant for witty retorts for any situation." Ritsudo added, Chris putting her free hand to her forehead as she sighed while Kyomei and Tsubasa just laughed.

"Ritsu, you're absurd."

"Why thank you."

"Hey, everyone!" Hibiki's call got the upperclassmen to stop as she and Miku rushed through the crowd to catch up, Tsubasa then giving a hum.

"Tachibana, get this, Yukine _finally_ called me "senpai." I _knew_ Narukami would get through to her." Tsubasa said, Kyomei sighing at the odd pride in Tsubasa's voice, Chris making a noise as Ritsudo laughed at the statement, Hibiki then giving a mischievous little hum.

"Heeehhh? Chris-chan, you call Tsubasa-san "senpai" now?" Hibiki mused, Chris clenching her free hand as her eye began twitching.

"Hey, Hibiki!" Miku warned, Chris letting out a breath, Ritsudo sighing.

"This is a good chance to remind you of something!" Chris said, Ritsudo lowering three fingers in turn before using his hand hold on Chris to yank her back as she shot forward to try and grab Hibiki, "I'm older than you, _and_ I'm your senpai! If _anyone_ should be calling _anybody_ that, it'd be _you!"_

"Alright, alright, come on, back off bunny rabbit." Ritsudo said, pulling Chris back a bit and locking his arm over hers as she struggled, though Chris slacked when Ritsudo pat her on the head, "Besides you still need to finish healing up, no straining until then! Express orders from the boyfriend!"

There was this sudden jump in Hibiki that only Miku noticed amid the commotion.

"Hey, Hibiki, are you okay?" Miku asked, Hibiki looking to her with a confused expression… whatever that "jump" was for, clearly Hibiki didn't get it herself, but Miku surely did from her look, "You kind of flinched earlier. Do you feel strange?"

"You're always so worried!" Hibiki said, giving her friend a hug to reassure her, "They said the Relic that was eating away at me disappeared completely back then. But you know… the Gungnir in my chest may be gone, but, I'll never lose the song Kanade-san entrusted to me."

"Well ain't that well said?" Ritsudo mused, looking up at the bright sky as Hibiki did, lifting his hand up and closing it around the sun, "You're gonna say "so does everyone else" now, yeah?"

"How did you know?" Hibiki mused, Ritsudo chuckling as he lowered his hand.

"I'm smart like that." Ritsudo said, looking up again, "Even if we're still gonna be busy… I'm glad we're here now though. A new daybreak to a world without the Noise… even with that Curse still here, I feel like we're on step closer in a way, don't you guys?"

Ritsudo got nods from everyone else as he looked around, and his usual smirk came to his face as he toyed with his pendant in his pocket.

"Then let's not waste it! A new future is ours, so let's grab it by the horns!" Ritsudo said, rushing ahead of the others as they all gave their own cheers, and from the gate of the school, Koto gave a chuckle as he watched the others rush on ahead, turning back from where he was peering out from the gate.

"Ya' hear that? They're gonna keep moving forward, and so should I… no, I _will,_ until the day I can see you again." Koto mused, stepping off from where he was leaning, and as he looked into the crowd, a small gasp escaped him, then he gave a chuckle as a small grin showed on his face, "And found you!"

 _ **Symphogear Trill G**_

 _ **Finé**_

 **A/N**

* * *

 **Did I expect this final chapter to be so long? No. Did I enjoy it? HELL YES! Took me ages but it was so dang worth it to make a chapter this big… actually the longest chapter I've ever written for** _ **anything**_ **now that I think about it. Nice. I have** _ **some**_ **plans for things before GX however, but they shall not be spoiled here in any fashion! Let's just call it Trill 2.5 for now yeah? Well then, with that, see ya'll next time!**


	33. Between 1

_Symphogear Trill G 2.5_

 _ **Between 1: Memoria of Departed**_

"The graveyard? Some date…"

"Hey, none of the snark right now."

Chris sighed to herself as Ritsudo tapped her on the back of the head, trailing into the main path of the graveyard.

"Don't think we didn't come here just to wander around." Ritsudo said, Chris following him. The somber look on Ritsudo's face was almost bothersome. He'd been rather seirous when he'd asked her to come with him, but she didn't think it was too visit the graveyard of all places.

But… there was something in the back of Chris' head that were telling her _why_ they were here. It didn't take a lot for her to put the pieces together… in fact she hardly needed to. The small bag of things Ritsudo had with him was telling enough already.

" _So this must be were his parents are buried."_ Chris thought, the trek through the various tombstones and markers quiet as the afternoon air around them, Ritsudo eventually coming to a stop at one of the many tombstones, and while Ritsudo started rifling through the bag, Chris leaned down to read the names on the stone, "Seiji and Akari Narukami…"

"Pretty plain names huh? But, I like their names all the same." Ritsudo remarked, already setting things on the grave in the traditional fashion, "Mom and dad weren't very dramatic people… they preferred a quiet life with no drama where the most exciting thing in the house was their troublesome kid."

"Yeah but your life is anything but quiet." Chris said, Ritsudo chuckling, lighting the incense the clapping his hands together, Chris following suit with the gesture after kneeling herself.

"Hey, mom, dad, I know I haven't visited for a while but… I've done a lot better since then." As Ritsudo started speaking once they stood, Chris glanced at him in silence, a sad smile on the boy's face, "Things… weren't really easy between me and the family, to say the least, y'know? Then I got caught up in something crazy, and I ended up doing some things I regret now but… ironically, thanks to that though… I… I finally found people. People who wouldn't just push me away because I was inconvenient."

"Ritsu…" Chris murmured, a hand already moving to grab one of Ritsudo's as tears started forming at the young man's eyes, Chris getting the immediate sense that a long time's worth of held back emotions were finally coming to the surface, his hand gripping Chris' all the tighter.

"And there's been some ups and downs but… I really care for all of them. It's like I found a new family for myself… and, along with that, somebody I'm glad I can say I love more than anything!" Ritsudo's solemn expression turned into a smile as the tears finally flowed, Chris smiling herself as she nestled into Ritsudo's arm, his other hand finding it's way up to her shoulder, "Chris Yukine… I'm sure the two of you would absolutely love her to bits."

"Oh shut up, you're gonna embarrass me." Chris mused, Ritsudo chuckling again. "Your son can be a bit of an impulsive idiot, but, it's charming. Hehe, and don't worry, I'll take good care of him for you both, and we've got plenty of friends to help with that as well. Don't worry about this broody guy being alone again alright?"

"Hey I dropped the broody thing months ago." Ritsudo muttered, Chris leaning up (which took a bit of effort) and pecking him on the cheek, Ritsudo looking to the side with a bit of red tinging his face. "So… I also had plans to go to a restaurant that recently opened up. You in?"

"Ritsu if it involves food do you even need to ask me?" Chris chuckled, Ritsudo snickering as she gripped his arm.

"Nah, of course I don't." Ritsudo said, bending down and adjusting some of the items on the gravestone, "Well then, later… I'll be back soon to tell you two all about things that've gone on."

"Don't leave me out of it alright?"

"Of course not. Like I'd leave you out of anything Chris."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Short but sweet, that's what I plan with these things. I could say image them like the specials that come around but do as you will. This is gonna be our bridging until GX, but I think they'll be fun.**


	34. Between 2

Symphogear Trill G

 **Between 2: Chance Meeting**

It was the average mill of the day. Koto was weaving his way through the busy crowd in the arcade area, the peace of the situation giving him a nice, relaxed feeling for once in a good, long while.

"For now, things are at least close to normal. Hehe… after all of that craziness, it's almost hard to believe we're able to relax for once." Koto gave a hum as he fiddled with his Symphogear pendant in his pocket, one thought coming to mind, _"I wonder… what'd be the chances of me running into that person I saw the other day? Heh… it's probably just a massive coincidence but… I won't forget what she said. It's all just a matter of waiting… whether it happens in this life or the next."_

"Ahhh! Look out!"

"Huh?"

As Koto turned around at the sudden shout, he side stepped on reaction, his eyes going side as someone tumbled down, positioned that if he hadn't moved, he likely would've come crashing down himself. Not to mention the bits of luggage that also went flying too.

"Owww…."

"Uh… you okay?" Koto looked down at the fallen individual, immediately taking note of the incredibly long, fluffy orange hair they had… and in a style all too familiar to him.

"Y-Yeah… just tripped is all." Not to mention, that _voice_ was familiar to him as well. The fallen girl put a hand to her head as she sat up. When she turned, Koto couldn't help but draw a sharp breath in. The girl's face was the spitting image of Kanade, absolutely identical except for one detail he took immediate note of. This girl's eyes were a striking shade of blue like the sky… but, it was her aura that he felt that shocked Koto the most.

"Heh… kinda ditzy huh?" Koto kept his composure despite it, the girl chuckling as she rubbed the back of her head, Koto then holding out a hand, "Well? Want some help? Your things are kind of all over the place. I take it you're traveling?"

"Yeah." The young woman said, offering the hand up, Koto immediately getting to helping her gather the scattered items. It was easy to tell from the heavy coat the girl was wearing she'd likely been somewhere else. That, and it was summer. The only people in their right mind who'd be wearing heavy clothes were likely those still wandering about. "I've kinda been traveling around the world for a while now."

"Seriously? You can't be much older than me. How're you affording that?" Koto asked, handing off the suitcase he'd just shut.

"Well… now I'm kinda broke. I managed to get to a few places but… getting here blew out the last of my savings. I mean I'm not like, flat broke but… definitely not gonna be going anywhere else for a while." The girl muttered, fluffing a bit of her hair, Koto wincing a bit at the statement.

"Eesh, sounds kinda harsh. But I'm bettin' it was worth it for you huh?" Koto asked, the girl nodding.

"Course! There's no point in doing something if it won't be worth it. Let's see… I've been to quite a few places before now, but before I was in the city, I actually visited some ruins near Mt. Fuji. Rumors were all around the place, so I figured I'd check it out. And now I'm kinda here."

" _Fuji huh? That was where…"_ Koto thought, shaking his head. "I see. So, a spelunker I take it?"

"Yeup! I'm also into mountain climbing, and on the side I'm not too bad of a singer. Though… I really seemed to be getting into the swing with them since I started traveling."

"Singing huh? Hahaha, kind of a coincidence I'm not bad at it myself. Well… most of my friends are pretty ace singers too." Koto noted. Then he gave a hum. "So… not to sound possibly prying, because you could just be that friendly… but don't most people tend to hold off on saying that much to somebody they just accidentally ran into on the street?"

"Hm? Well, I mean why not tell the people who ask what it is you're up to?" The girl said. Then she gave her own hum, looking at Koto with a more discerning eye, "But… I get this weird feeling around you. Almost like we've met before… is there a chance you're someone I ran into in another country?"

"Eh? I don't do a lot of traveling as it is. When I'm on duty for work I tend to be pretty busy."

"I see… so then why do you seem familiar to me?" The girl folded her arms as she gave a hum. Koto had an idea, but part of him didn't think so. He almost didn't think it was possible. "At the same time… I suddenly felt weirdly comfortable too… like I could trust you or something. I don't get that feeling with a lot of people. Y'know, lone pretty girl, traveling the world. You gotta keep an eye out yeah?"

"Ah yeah, makes sense." Koto responded, putting a hand on his hips as the girl pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen. Then she suddenly yelped.

"WAH!? That bus trip really brought me down to that much? Maaan! I can't even afford a hotel for the night now!" The girl let out a whine at the sudden revelation of the paltry nature of her bank account now, and Koto couldn't help but snicker a bit. "Hey, don't laugh at a girl's plight!"

"Sorry sorry, it was just cute." Koto said, the girl flinching, "Well… if you don't have a place for the night, I'm fine letting a traveler hole up for a bit. Not like I'm doing much with the spare rooms in my apartment."

"Ehhh… the offer of a free room sounds so nice." The girl seemed hesitant about the idea though. "I mean… I don't even know your name, how could I accept that kind of offer from a stranger?"

"You're right, you're right. Then I'll tell you my name. Koto Cadenza, at your service." Koto said, sticking out a hand, "Now what about you?"

"Me? Hehe, I'm Kanade Freya! Nice to meet ya'!"

"Kanade huh? Heh, nice name you've got there." Koto mused, he and Kanade shaking hands, _"You know what… this day just got a whole lot better._


	35. Between 3

Symphogear Trill G

 **Between 3: The Sentinel Tries Something New**

"Kyomei, I want to try cooking tonight!"

"Huh?"

Kyomei turned from the papers he was working on as his bedroom's door blew open, Tsubasa standing there with as determined a face as ever, even if the topic was more mundane than the usual things she would get fired up over.

"Well… do you have something in mind?" Kyomei got a nod in response. "Alright then. I'll help walk you through it."

A few moments later in the kitchen of their shared apartment, both Kyomei and Tsubasa had aprons on. While Kyomei was doing preparation… and to Kyomei's clear amusement, Tsubasa was, in an event of nothing but sheer, and pure irony, having a hard time working the cooking knife to cut the vegetables they were preparing.

"Doing alright there Tsubasa?" Kyomei said, Tsubasa giving a grumble.

"It's merely another blade… this isn't that hard." Tsubasa may have said that, but she was clearly struggling with it… and Kyomei's face was clearly amused by this.

" _She's so cute when she's trying hard."_ Kyomei thought. He then put down what he was prepping and slid over, Tsubasa flinching as Kyomei's hands found their way to her forearms, the young man putting his chin on her shoulder. "You're moving it too hard. A cooking knife isn't a sword, so don't force it."

"A-Ahhhh… r-right…"

"Here, let me help a bit."

Tsubasa's face was all kinds of red as Kyomei's hands went over her own, helping her smoothly move the knife to cut through… and whether he was doing this so as to intentionally embarrass Tsubasa the entire time or not was something the girl herself had no clue of.

"And there, done!" Kyomei finally moved away once the task was finished, and he snickered a bit as Tsubasa leaned on the counter. "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Tsubasa clearly wasn't though, and Kyomei chuckled, patting her on the head.

"You'll get better as you improve." Kyomei said, and when Tsubasa sighed and turned to him, she got met with being given a light peck on the lips, Kyomei chuckling as it left Tsubasa stunned. "Though I love you plenty as you are."

"A-Ahhhh…"

 _FWUMP_

"EH?! Tsubasa! Hey, don't collapse on me now!"

 _FEEEEEN_

"AH! It's starting to burn! Tsubasa, please get up and help!"

"I... it's too much... he's too much..."

"Tsubasa! Now isn't the time to space out!"


	36. Between 4

Symphogear Trill G

 **Between 4: An Honest Ego**

"You broke it again!"

 _WHAP!_

Hibiki hardly flinched as the paused moment from her fist breaking Ritsudo's training sword in two was followed by the splintered half of the sword still in his grip being slammed onto the top of her head.

"Sorry! I just countered and hit harder than I meant too." Hibiki put a hand behind her head as she chuckled, Ritsudo sighing as he dropped the broken wooden sword.

"Your impulse reactions are getting a bit _too_ impulsive." Ritsudo poked Hibiki on the forehead as he said so. "Seriously, if you keep breaking these things I'm not gonna have any left to help with training Chris."

"Again, sorry." Hibiki unlatched her gloves as she bowed her head a bit, the two items dropping onto the ground with heavy _thuds_ as she let them go, stretching her arms up with a nice bend, Ritsudo moving his glance to the other way. "Ahhh, an after-work out stretch is always nice!"

"Hibiki, Ritsudo-san!" The door leading into the yard slid open, Miku coming out with a tray of drinks and a couple of towels. "You two need to take more breaks when you're training you know? You hardly stopped at all in the past few hours."

"Well I mean we gotta be tough when it comes to our Symphogears." Hibiki said, taking the glass that Miku handed her. "Hehe, thanks! You're always so reliable Miku."

"Ah come on, you're gonna make me blush." Miku mused, Ritsudo snickering as he laid down on the cool wood of the porch, Miku then dropping one of the towels on his face. "You're gonna want that too."

"Thanks." Ritsudo sat up and moved the towel over his shoulders, leaning back on his hands. "Ahhh… it's nice to have a break every now and again. Though we haven't been very busy at all since sealing the Noise away. Now it's just disaster prevention and stuff."

"Yeah but you're still helping people. Even if you're not fighting all the time, that's still pretty good." Miku said, Ritsudo nodding as he took the other glass from the tray. "What do you think Hibiki?"

"Of course. Saving people is always what I wanna try to do." Hibiki said, pumping a fist, the movement in her arm making her slim musculature more obvious than usual. "So I've gotta keep getting stronger. This power of mine has gotta be used to save people no matter what."

"Not a _terrible_ way to think." Ritsudo said, laying back down with his arms behind his head. "But, y'never know when a monkey wrench is gonna be thrown into the works."

"Yeah but optimism is always a good thing." Miku said, Ritsudo now thumbing his Relic pendant, tracing his thumb along the edge of it. "But… yeah, you never know what could happen in the world."

"It'll be alright." Hibiki said, leaning on her knees. "We just gotta push on and ahead. If there's someone to be saved, then we've gotta do it! There's always a way to save somebody out there."

"Again not a bad way to think, but…" Ritsudo was twisting a bit of his hair as he spoke now. "… what if you ended up coming across somebody who's… _not_ that? Who doesn't want to be saved, or is already too far gone to be saved?"

"Pffff, ah come on Ritsu! I mean, there's the whole Curse thing, but we've been able to do so much. We've reached a lot of people who _seemed_ like that before. There's always a way!" Hibiki said, Ritsudo giving a bit of a sigh as he kept twirling his hair.

" _I really wish I could think the way you do Hibiki… it'd make life so much more convenient."_ Ritsudo gave a chuckle and stood up. Reaching to the side and grabbing another training sword from nearby, he turned around and pointed it at Hibiki. "I'll hold ya' to that one. So, break's done… how about another round or two?"

"Hehehe, you're on Ritsu!" Hibiki shot up and grabbed her gloves again. Meanwhile, Miku just sighed, a smile on her face.

"Don't go and overdo it you two!"


	37. Between 5

Symphogear Trill G

 **Between 5: Misunderstood**

"Ahhh, why is this a thing we have to do-desu!?"

"Well we were told students occasionally have to do this."

Kirika sighed as she leaned on the teacher's podium of the classroom while Skalla was finishing up wiping off the chalkboard.

"Yeah but we had to get up so early too! Maaan, I'm not gonna get used to this-desu!"

"Ahehehe, don't let Suiv or Shirabe here you say that. They'll have both our heads if we start slacking." Skalla tapped Kirika on the back of the head as she only whined, "So come on, start helping. You get the windows and I'll clean out the desks."

"Haaiiiii!"

As the two got to cleaning up the classroom, Skalla started mulling on his own. It was just him and Kirika… alone… in a class room at school… with nobody else around for several hours. And even when she was muttering about it Kirika looked way too cute for him to keep his cool even as he furiously checked and scrubbed each desk.

" _Just keep it cool… remember Oratorio's advice… what was it again?"_

After a moment of contemplation from the light-blue haired boy, it came back to him… and that it was actually in no way helpful… at all.

" _Dammit Oratorio your advice is like a dad who doesn't know how to talk about those things to his kid!"_ Skalla grabbed at his hair as his face went red, avoiding the urge to slam his head onto the desk… and a noise came from his throat as he picked up on Kirika humming some random tune while she kept at working. _Now_ was where Skalla's head met the desk. _"So damn cute!"_

"Huh? Skalla you okay? Did you slip or something?"

Skalla looked up to see that Kirika was now mere inches from him, and in his surprise, his face not only became even more horribly red than it had been before, but he nearly shrieked as he almost jumped out of the chair, only keeping quiet by biting his lip, made worse when Kirika tilted her head in a confused manner.

" _Too close too close too close! This is different than when Shirabe and Suiv are with us! Totally different! Ah… she smells nice too… did they go for a new shampoo now or… AHHH! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"_

"Hmm? You okay?"

"Y-Yeah! I-I'm perfectly fine! A-okay I swear! Ahehahahaha…" He tried to awkwardly laugh it off, but his head was actually throbbing pretty hard now… but then he recalled the fact they were alone. Maybe… maybe it could be the chance he needed. "Uh… Kirika I…"

"Huh?"

"I love you!" Skalla spat it out, his face burning red as he felt a flush of embarrassment go over him. Though… Kirika's expression didn't really change at all. Did he say it wrong? Was she just surprised? What was it?!

"Hehh? I knew that! Hmhm, like how mom and dad always say that, yeah?" That wording, the way she said it in a manner totally oblivious to what he meant… Skalla felt like something in him promptly shattered into thousands of tiny little pieces. "Ah?! Wait, did I say that? Ah man, I didn't mean to refer to Oratorio and Maria like that-desu! But you know what I mean right Skalla? Cause I love all you guys!"

"Ah… y-yeah… ehehehe… th-that's… that's totally what I meant. Ahehe… he… heeee…" His tone was a downright broken stutter of words, and Skalla's eyes could best be compared to a dead fish's as he only kept himself up by leaning on the desk itself. Kirika was, on the other hand, checking the time.

"Ah! Oh man it's that time already! Sorry Skalla, Shirabe and I were gonna get something before class! I'll see ya later!" Kirika left with a wave through the class door, Skalla only nodding as he sunk down into the desk chair.

"Of course… should've known… Kirika likes Shirabe more than me anyway, and what else could I have expected?" A stuttered chuckle left Skalla's throat as his head lolled to one side, then a sharp inhale followed. "IDIOOOOT! I'm such a damn idiot! I should've said what I meant! Aggghhh, but she's too damn cute, I can't say no to her when she makes faces like that… ahhh, I never thought I'd be mad about that!"

Skalla sat up and threw his head back as a groan left his throat, and how he wished he had the ability to just bore holes into things with his eyes. Maybe it would make him feel better about this!

Instead though, he settled for something else. Getting up and throwing open a window, Skalla took in a long breath… there was really only one thing he felt like he could do right now. And that wasscream, scream until his throat went hoarse.

* * *

Utterly oblivious to the fact her synch partner was now screaming his lungs out, Kirika was down in the cafeteria eating with Shirabe, her attitude not even giving something of a hint she had any clue what had really been going down not a few minutes ago.

Shirabe noticed though. She'd notice something like this on any of her friends. But especially when it was Kirika. After that was Suiv, because _someone_ needed to keep him in line when he was being himself.

"Kiri-chan is something up? You seem confused about something." Shirabe spoke curtly about it. Had Skalla said something while he and Kirika had been cleaning? (He did.)

"Hmm… I don't really know." Kirika answered, her chopsticks still stuck between her lips as she spoke. "I mean, my chest feels a little tight but I don't know really know why. Maybe I ate something weird last night?"

"Impossible. Sui-kun and I cooked dinner, we'd never make something that'd make someone sick."

"Ahehhee, yeah of course! 'Cause you two are just the best chefs ever!" But, Shirabe's classic stare made Kirika think on it a bit more. Hard to not when that stubborn girl did so. "Though… I dunno, it always happens when I'm alone with Skalla for some reason… I don't get it at all!"

If some words could be ascribed to Shirabe's expression in response to that statement, it'd be "Oh god what did you do?" Shirabe knew perfectly well how Skalla felt about Kirika. Frankly she figured it'd be sorta hard for him not to feel SOMETHING since they were Synchronize partners after all… but this? This implied something… and guessing from the fact Suiv had texted her saying he'd spotted Skalla screaming from one of the class room windows, she had a pretty good idea now of why that was.

"Kiri-chan… sometimes you're dense. _Very_ dense."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Kirika then let out a hum, giving a chuckle. "I mean I definitely know how I feel about you, Shirabe-chan."

"That's only about half of what I meant." Shirabe replied, _"Stupid… Skal-kun is your partner. You really are dense if you can't at least recognize how he feels."_


	38. Between 6

Symphogear Trill G

 **Between 6: A Message from Years Ago**

"Alright, let's give it a whirl." Ritsudo spun a vinyl on the edges of his index fingers, dropping it onto the turntable set-up that now took up a space in the living room of his and Chris's apartment, Ritsudo pulling his headphones up as he began fiddling with dials and switches. "Let's see… yeah should be like this…"

"Aghhhh… why is that stuff so heavy?" Chris had her face in a pillow on the couch, Ritsudo chuckling as he looked back at her.

"Well of course it is. I was getting it myself anyway… and how have you _not_ gotten stronger since I've started putting you through more training?"

"I'm a shooter! I don't need to be able to lift super heavy things when my Gear does it for me!"

"Well at least you're getting better at melee range fighting."

"HEY!"

"Hehe… now…" Ritsudo then reached over and tapped a few keys on a nearby laptop, Chris sitting up while hugging the pillow she had. Ritsudo licked his finger tips a bit before he started, and Chris shut her eyes as the music began to play through the room, a small smile coming through, the girl beginning to shift along as Ritsudo fiddled around with what he could on the deck.

" _Well among his hobbies, I like this one the best."_ Chris chuckled a bit as she cracked her eyes open, watching Ritsudo bob along to the music as his hands went back and forth from the vinyls and the board. He'd just suddenly come out one day with this grand idea to get into music mixing, and towed along with him was that and fresh speakers. _"Such a nice tune…"_

Chris leaned back as she continued to listen in, and as she craned her head back, her eyes wound up going to some boxes they'd left stacked up in the hall… they'd been there for quite a while actually.

"Hmm… hey Ritsu, I'm gonna take care of those boxes we left out. I'll put 'em in the spare room."

"Alright."

Ritsudo nodded to Chris, the short girl stepping up and getting to moving the boxes along. Thankfully for her they were mostly light, probably just filled with a bunch of pointless things. Not like either of them had a whole lot to begin with when they moved in, so most of it was Ritsudo's. Though there was one bo in particular Chris took note of as she was finishing up the short task.

It was a lot older looking, with walls that were crunched in and worn out. Chris was surprised it wasn't falling apart, yet it was clear this box had never even been opened because the worn tape wasn't tampered with at all.

"Odd…" Chris tilted her head as she shook the box a bit, but she couldn't hear anything from within. Peering back out in the hall, Ritsudo was still at it, so Chris sat back down. A box cutter had been left nearby, so Chris used that to slit the tape open. Most of what was in the old box wasn't much… though there was an old looking book in it. "Edogawa Ranpo huh? Ritsu reads this guy's stuff? And this book's an old copy."

Chris then casually flipped through the pages of the book, but, surprisingly, something fell out of it. A letter. One that seemed about as old as the book was but still in good condition likely because it hadn't been touched. With a quizzical look on, Chris picked the letter up and turned it over, her eyes widening a bit when she saw the writing on the front: _From Mom and Dad._

"No way… Ritsu, I…" Chris shot up, but stopped herself as she was about to step out of the room, looking at the letter. "Should I? I mean… Ritsu definitely knew about this box, but if he didn't open it then… no, he's definitely gotten past that but..."

Taking in a breath, Chris turned around and leaned against the wall, using her little finger to pry the letter open, not to hard to do considering its age. As she pulled it open and read it, Chris's eyes slowly began to widen, even more and more as she went over the other pages in the letter.

"Ritsu's family is…" Chris quickly folded the letter back up and shut it, peering out, feeling something heavy weigh on her as she watched Ritsudo happily bob around as he kept toying around with that DJ deck. "If they come after him then… then everything he's worked so hard for now could just go away…" Chris's hand then balled up, the girl gritting her teeth. "No… I won't, I refuse to let that happen!"


End file.
